A group of modified, span memory tests, some of which were derived from experimental procedures for the study of short‐term memory, together with standard reference factor marker tests were administered to 100 Junior Naval Recruits, and the results factor analysed. Three span memory factors emerged, two of which were sufficiently broad to be of interest. One was the standard span memory factor, although it emerged as a more general factor than current definitions of span memory would suggest, and the other appeared to represent the ability to read and remember four or five digits at a glance. The results were interpreted as being consistent with a two‐stage model of short‐term m