Psychologists that the University of Oregon say that the capacity of short-term memory is a strong predictor of an individual's IQ level and scholastic achievement.
A study conducted by them has shown that an average person can think only about four items at a time, but people with high IQ levels can remember more articles.
Professor Edward Awh and Professor Edward Vogel of the university conducted laboratory experiments to test their hypothesis that the memory capacity might be influenced by the complexity of items being stored, something that might cause a four-item limit for most people.
The study showed that even when very complex objects had to be remembered, the participants who ranged in age from 18 to 30 years still were able to hold four items in active memory. However, the clarity of those items was not always perfect.
