Chunking

The process of grouping separate pieces of information into larger, meaningful units so that more fits in working memory.

• Ex: Remembering a phone number as three groups instead of ten digits.
• Ex: A chess player seeing a board as a few familiar formations instead of thirty-two pieces.
• Ex: Remembering a grocery list as “breakfast things” and “things for the cookout.”

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Last updated: September 17, 2026 at 8:39 AM