What process increases the capacity of short-term memory by grouping small units of information?

Chunking is the correct answer because it refers to the cognitive process of organizing individual bits of information into larger, more manageable units or "chunks." This technique effectively expands the limited capacity of short-term memory, which typically can hold about 7±2 items at a time. By grouping information into chunks, such as turning a long string of numbers into smaller, more meaningful clusters, individuals can retain and recall more information than if they were trying to memorize each piece of data separately.

For instance, when trying to remember a phone number, we often break it down into groups (like the area code and the rest of the number) rather than trying to remember each digit in sequence. This not only makes it easier to remember but also enhances the encoding of information into long-term memory, as the brain is better equipped to process and store meaningful patterns rather than random sequences.

The other processes mentioned in the options, such as coding, decoding, and retrieval, relate to different aspects of memory and information processing. Coding involves transforming information into a format that can be stored in memory, decoding is the interpretation of that stored information, and retrieval is the process of accessing information when needed. While these processes are essential in memory function, they do not specifically address the method