MindTest yours →
How many items can the human brain hold in working memory?
7 ± 2 items
How many items can the human brain hold in working memory?
George Miller's landmark 1956 paper established that humans can hold about 7 (±2) chunks of information in working memory at one time. More recent research by Nelson Cowan (2001) refined this to approximately 4 items when chunking is prevented. The '7±2' figure remains one of the most cited statistics in all of psychology.
Source: Miller (1956), Psychological Review; Cowan (2010), Current Biology
See where you rank
Working Memory
How many digits can you hold in your head?