# The name short-term memory may emphasise too much on storage
The idea of Short-term memory which was initially introduced in the Atkison-Shiffrin Memory Model didn't manage to capture the importance of what the memory is being used for. I think researches during that time studies more about the storage aspect of this memory, such as how many info can we stored inside, how long will the info live, etc.
Baddeley later introduced the idea of Working memory to broaden the role and concept of this memory so that it captures the dynamic process of a working memory because this memory is not only used for storing, but we are actively manipulate and process the information.
# References
Goldstein, Cognitive Psychology (p. 138).
This idea that STM is involved with dynamic processes like transferring information led to a rethinking of the nature of STM, and the proposal that the short-term process might be better called working memory.
Goldstein, Cognitive Psychology (p. 140).
The fact that STM and the modal model do not consider dynamic processes that unfold over time is what led Baddeley and Hitch (1974) to propose that the name working memory, rather than short-term memory.
Goldstein, Cognitive Psychology (p. 165).
Our starting point for comparing long-term and short-term memory takes us back to our discussion of STM, when we noted that one of the problems with STM is that most research emphasised its storage function [...]
# Backlinks
- Working memory
- See also The name short-term memory may emphasise too much on storage, therefore working memory is introduced.
- Information in memory is being represented not stored
- In the book Goldstein, Cognitive Psychology, the author is being very careful in using the word represented, rather than stored, when talking about the Long-term memory. This is due to the similar concern of The name short-term memory may emphasise too much on storage. Information in our memory is not stored as-is, and it may be different when you recall it in the future.