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What Is Memory

Memory refers to the processes of acquiring, storing, retaining, and retrieving information over time. There are three main stages of memory: encoding, which involves processing new information; storage, where encoded information is kept over varying durations; and retrieval, the process of accessing stored memories. Memories can last from seconds to decades, depending on whether they are kept in short-term or long-term storage. Encoding and organizing memories allows us to draw on past experiences to make decisions and solve problems.

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49 views5 pages

What Is Memory

Memory refers to the processes of acquiring, storing, retaining, and retrieving information over time. There are three main stages of memory: encoding, which involves processing new information; storage, where encoded information is kept over varying durations; and retrieval, the process of accessing stored memories. Memories can last from seconds to decades, depending on whether they are kept in short-term or long-term storage. Encoding and organizing memories allows us to draw on past experiences to make decisions and solve problems.

Uploaded by

waqar ahmad
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© © All Rights Reserved
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THEORIES

COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY

What Is Memory?
By
Kendra Cherry


Medically reviewed by
Daniel B. Block, MD
on May 15, 2020

Fabio / Getty Images

Table of Contents
What Is Memory?

How Memories Are Formed

How Long Do Memories Last?


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Using Memory
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Organizing Memory
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What Is Memory?
Memory refers to the processes that are used to acquire, store, retain, and
later retrieve information. There are three major processes involved in
memory: encoding, storage, and retrieval.

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Human memory involves the ability to both preserve and recover


information we have learned or experienced. As we all know, however, this
is not a flawless process. Sometimes we forget or misremember things.
Sometimes things are not properly encoded in memory in the first place.

Memory problems can range from minor annoyances like forgetting where
you left your car keys to major diseases, like Alzheimer's and other kinds of
dementia, that affect the quality of life and the ability to function.

The study of human memory has been a subject of science and philosophy
for thousands of years and has become one of the major topics of interest
within cognitive psychology.

How Memories Are Formed


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In order to form new memories, information must be changed into a usable


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form, which occurs through the process known as encoding. Once the
information has been successfully encoded, it must be stored in memory for
later use.

Much of this stored memory lies outside of our awareness most of the time,
except when we actually need to use it. The retrieval process allows us to
bring stored memories into conscious awareness.

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Related:
How Information Retrieval From Memory Works

How Long Do Memories Last?


Some memories are very brief, just seconds long, and allow us to take in
sensory information about the world around us.

Short-term memories are a bit longer and last about 20 to 30 seconds.


These memories mostly consist of the information we are currently
focusing on and thinking about.

Finally, some memories are capable of enduring much longer, lasting days,
weeks, months, or even decades. Most of these long-term memories lie
outside of our immediate awareness, but we can draw them into
consciousness when they are needed.
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Using Memory
Using Memory

To use the information that has been encoded into memory, it first has to be
retrieved. There are many factors that can influence how memories are
retrieved such as the type of information being used and the retrieval cues
that are present.

Of course, this process is not always perfect. Have you ever felt like you had
the answer to a question right at the tip of your tongue, but you couldn’t
quite remember it? This is an example of a perplexing memory retrieval
problem known as lethologica or the tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon.

Related:
Why Does the Tip-of-the-Tongue Phenomenon Happen?

Organizing Memory
The ability to access and retrieve information from long-term memory
allows us to actually use these memories to make decisions, interact with
others, and solve problems. But how is information organized in memory?

One way of thinking about memory organization is known as the semantic


network model. This model suggests that certain triggers activate
associated memories. A memory of a specific place might activate memories
about related things that have occurred in that location. For example,
thinking about a particular campus building might trigger memories of
attending classes, studying, and socializing with peers.

Types of Memory
While several different models of memory have been proposed, the stage
model of memory is often used to explain the basic structure and function
of memory. Initially proposed in 1968 by Richard Atkinson and Richard
Shiffrin, this theory outlines three separate stages of memory: sensory
memory, short-term memory, and long-term memory.

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Sensory Memory
Sensory memory is the earliest stage of memory. During this stage, sensory
information from the environment is stored for a very brief period of time,
generally for no longer than a half-second for visual information and 3 or 4
seconds for auditory information. We attend to only certain aspects of this
sensory memory, allowing some of this information to pass into the next
stage: short-term memory.

Related:
How Long Do Sensory Memories Last?

Short-Term Memory
Short-term memory, also known as active memory, is the information we
are currently aware of or thinking about. In Freudian psychology, this
memory would be referred to as the conscious mind. Paying attention to
sensory memories generates information in short-term memory.

While many of our short-term memories are quickly forgotten, attending to


this information allows it to continue to the next stage: long-term memory.
Most of the information stored in active memory will be kept for
approximately 20 to 30 seconds.

The term "short-term memory" is often used interchangeably with


"working memory," which refers to the processes that are used to
temporarily store, organize, and manipulate information.
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Related:
What Is Short-Term
INSTALL Memory?

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