Memory
Memory is the ability to take in information, store it, and recall it at a later time. In psychology, memory is broken down into three stages: encoding, storage, and retrieval.
Types of memory
According to memorized material:
Visual memory
Auditory memory
Motor memory (movement, dance)
Verbal-logical (semantic - relations between terms, meanings)
Memory for tastes and smells
According to the length of storage:
Ultrashort (also. immediate, "sensory register") - electrochemical irritation of brain cells, perceptions disappear after a few seconds (time of "presence" max 10 s), or pass into short-term memory
Short-term - immediate, working memory (up to 30s)
Medium-term - few hours
Long-term - we remember up to several years. Long-term memories can be categorized:
- explicit memory - also known as conscious or declarative memory, involves memory of facts, concepts, and events that require conscious recall of the information. Explicit memories can be either semantic (abstract, fact-based) or episodic (based on a specific event).
- implicit memory - also called “unconscious” or “procedural” memory involves procedures for completing actions. These actions develop with practice over time.
Forgetting
It is a failure to remember material previously learned. It varies from normal decay of memories (aging) to pathological process of losing memories as a symptom of more serious condition (amnesia, Alzheimer´s disease).