The Three Stages of Human Memory: How We Remember Things (or not...)



Posted: Friday, February 12, 2010

by Edward Chaney
http://www.going-strong-seniors.com


There are generally three stages in human memory: sensory memory, short-term memory, and long-term memory.

Sensory memory captures what we see, hear, feel, taste and smell. Quite simply, it records the things that you "sense." Sensory memory is quite brief. If you don't send it to short-term memory, it fades away as soon as the actual experience is complete. For instance, think about seeing. We see innumerable things in the course of virtually all waking minutes. However, unless your attention is actually captured by something you see, it is erased when something else attracts your interest.

Short-term memory lasts somewhat longer; in fact, as long as you give thought to something, you can keep it in short-term memory. It could be a the telephone number you have been repeating continuously until you can write it down, or the look of a blossom. It will continue to be available in your memory as long as you actively think about it. If you quit attending to to it, it will be deleted within 10-20 seconds. In order to remember something after that, the brain has to move it to long-term memory. The approach of repeating a number is, in fact, a means of passing the number from short-term to long-term memory.

Like sensory memory, the amount of material one can keep in short-term memory is quite limited. The standard rule is that only five to nine elements of information can be in short-term memory simultaneously. This is why short-term memory is so "short." Any time you take note of a fresh bit of information that originates from sensory memory, you have to push out something that had your attention before. For example, if a perception interrupts your concentration on the phone number before you practice it into long-term memory, it will get bumped out and you will have to look it up again!

Typically, whenever we refer to memory, we have long-term memory in mind. Long-term memory can store a virtually limitless amount of data. Long-term memory contains perceptions and concepts that vary from a few moments old to the very first weeks of life. Long-term memory is like the immense hard drive of a giant computer where unlimited detail can be recorded for a lifetime. It is this memory that we construct our ideas and experiences on, and ideally bring them back to attention whenever we need it.

If this seems complex - it is! Incredibly, our brains by and large achieve it without a problem. With this foundation, we will examine a question that occurs to many people every so often: What exactly is the distinction between what you know and what you know how to do?

People have two kinds of long-term memory: Declarative and Procedural. "Declarative" memory is the memory of ideas or events. "Procedural" memory is remembering how one can do things. The words themselves help us remember which is which; "declarative memory" makes it possible to express something, or "declare." "Procedural memory" helps us to do something - to "proceed." Procedural memory is many times not easy to discuss, or explain. Still, even when we cannot explain just how we do something, we can normally apply our memory of it without even consciously thinking about it. Procedural learning and recall are employed in things like riding a bike, learning to recite a poem, learning to play a drum or learning to swim. We are able to drive a car from place to place to most places while not being conscious of the actual driving process most of the time, and be completely secure. When a "procedure" has been rehearsed mentally or trained physically until it is securely in long-term memory, it is very permanent. For instance, people typically notice that you can still ride a bicycle many years after the last time you did it!

Finally, one more degree of complication. Declarative memory falls into one of two categories: "semantic memory" and "episodic memory." Semantic memory is theoretical, or abstract memory. It is separate from time and location. It is only a piece of knowledge. For instance, realizing that an apple is called a "fruit" is a semantic memory. Knowing that two plus two equals four is also semantic memory. You are able to recollect it, express it, you have an understanding of it, and you can utilize it to count things; nevertheless the equation does not signify something real or specific.

Episodic memory, however, is factual information rooted in your own experience at some specific point in time and place. It really is a thing that happened or a situation you sensed. For example, should you be thinking about looking over the Grand Canyon when you visited it during a driving trip, you are experiencing an episodic memory. Yet another example: You can say, "When we were at the supermarket the other day, Steve bought two apples and Mary bought two apples, so altogether we came home with four apples." You're making use of semantic memory to apply mathematics to four actual apples that you remember seeing, that is an episodic memory, or the memory of an "episode" that you witnessed.

These terms and principles are crucial as the different types of memory are shaped and saved by the brain in different ways and in distinct brain locations. They are subject to development or impairment in various ways, as well. For example, not all kinds of memories are influenced by aging in the same manner. Research is beginning to tell us that an increasing number of individuals will live to 100 years of age. This can be good news or bad news, depending on the quality of life you foresee and prepare for throughout these later years. As you continue to examine and learn about memory, remember these elementary ideas that will help place your fresh insight and "memories" into context.

Edward Chaney

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Top-level comments on this article: (2 total)
» left by Nicki Leavens
 2 years 93 days ago.
A clear and well written article that helps us understand how memory works. I wish I had read it when I was studing memory as part of a psychology degree. The most memorable ones for me is flashbulb memory. I will always remember what I was doing when I heard Princess Diana had died, and the magic 7 numbers. Apparently in the past we could only remember on average 7 numbers at a time. I think that has changed since some of us can remember our mobile phone numbers. I did say some of us.
» left by Lori L. Ford
from California 1 year 177 days ago.
Yes it was very helpful. I was looking for an easy to understand explanation of how our memory works so I could explain to my students why the memory strategies we are using are important by giving them your simplified explanation and my graphic pictures of how the 3 stages work. Thank you so much.
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