Peterson and Peterson

Peterson and Peterson refer to a famous psychology experiment conducted by George Miller and colleagues, including J. Rosalie Peterson, to understand how short-term memory works. They studied how long people can remember a small set of information—like three to five items—without rehearsal. Their findings showed that without actively repeating the info, it typically lasts about 15 to 20 seconds before fading. This research helped establish the concept of the fleeting nature of short-term memory and highlighted its limited capacity, influencing our understanding of how we temporarily hold and process information.