The Fundamentals of Memory: Understanding Sensory, Short-Term and Long-Term Memory Processing

How does memory work ? What 3 components ?

Encoding Storing Retrieving

Memory refers to the ability of the brain to encode, store and retrieve information. Basically, it is the ability to remember things such as past events, knowledge, skills, and experiences. Memory can be divided into three main components: sensory memory, short-term memory, and long-term memory.

1. Sensory Memory: Sensory memory is the first stage of memory processing that holds sensory information from the environment for a very short period of time, typically less than a second. It is responsible for holding sensory information such as sight, sound, touch, taste and smell. Sensory memory acts as a kind of filter for the attentional processes, and only pays attention to those inputs that are selected for further processing.

2. Short-Term Memory: Short-term memory, also known as working memory, is the second stage of memory processing. This is where we store information for a short period of time, typically up to 20-30 seconds. Short-term memory is where we hold information we are presently using, such as phone numbers, names, and instructions. Our working memory is limited in capacity, and it can only hold a certain amount of information at any given time.

3. Long-Term Memory: Long-term memory is the final stage of memory processing. It is responsible for storing information over long periods of time from hours to years. Long-term memory can be further divided into two types: declarative memory, which consists of facts and events, and procedural memory, which consists of skills and habits. Long-term memory has a virtually unlimited capacity and can last a lifetime.

In summary, the three main components of memory are sensory memory, short-term memory, and long-term memory. All of these components work together to allow us to process, store, and retrieve information throughout our lives.

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