Editing Capacity Limitations Principle (section)

=== Evidence ===
[[File:Figure 5.8.jpeg|Figure 5.8|260x260px|right|'''Figure 5.8''']]
The human brain can only hold a limited amount of information at any given time. Graphical or other informational displays should not require the reader to hold more than 4 perceptual groups in mind at once (Kosslyn, 2006). Recent studies about the capacity of working memory have established the capacity at around 4 items (Goldstein 2021). One experiment by Steven Luck and Edward Vogel (1997) measures the capacity of working memory by flashing two arrays of colored squares separated by a brief delay. The color of one square is changed on trails where the second array is different. The task given to participants was to determine whether the color of the square in the second array is different from the color in the first array. The result of this experiment demonstrates the participants’ performance as close to perfection when 1 to 3 squares are shown in the arrays. However, when there are 4 or more colored squares shown in the arrays, the performance of participants begins to decrease.  The decline in participant performance continues as more squares are shown. From the result of this experiment, Luck and Vogel concluded that the short term memory is capable of retaining about 4 items at one time.