Yuh-shiow Lee
Department of Psychology National Chung Cheng University
The main purpose of this article was to discuss human factors implications of working memory capacity limits and other related characteristics. Four main characteristics of working memory and their relationship to the system and task design were reviewed; (1)The capacity of working memory is limited; (2)Working memory capacity can be expanded through chunking; (3)Without rehearsal, information will disappear quickly from working memory; (4)Storing the same or similar codes in working memory will cause code interference. Working memory has been considered a workbench for many complex cognitive tasks. To facilitate efficiency and reduce errors in the process of human system interaction, it is crucial to take the above-mentioned characteristics of working memory into account when designing a system or task for human use.
Keywords: working memory, human factors psychology, memory capacity, short-term memory