Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsFormationDurationUsesOrganizationTypesWhy We Forget Some MemoriesWhat You Can Do to Improve MemoryHow to Protect Memory
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Formation
Duration
Uses
Organization
Types
Why We Forget Some Memories
What You Can Do to Improve Memory
How to Protect Memory
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Our memory helps make us who we are. It allows us to function in our daily lives, forge relationships that are vital for our well-being, and remember important events from our past. But memory isn’t perfect. Understanding what it is and how it works can offer insights into what you might be able to do to make yours stronger.
How Psychologists Define MemoryMemory refers to the psychological processes of acquiring, storing, retaining, and later retrieving information. Memory involves three major processes: encoding, storage, and retrieval.
How Psychologists Define Memory
Memory refers to the psychological processes of acquiring, storing, retaining, and later retrieving information. Memory involves three major processes: encoding, storage, and retrieval.
Human memory involves the ability to both preserve and recover information. However, this is not a flawless process. Sometimes people forget or misremember things. Other times, information is not properly encoded in memory in the first place.
Memory problems are often relatively minor annoyances, like forgetting birthdays. However, they can also be a sign of serious conditions such asAlzheimer’s diseaseand other kinds ofdementia. These conditions affect quality of life and ability to function.
This article discusses how memories are formed and why they are sometimes forgotten. It also covers the different types of memory and steps you can take to both improve and protect your memory.
How Memories Are Formed
In order to create a new memory, information must be changed into a usable form, which occurs through a process known asencoding. Once the information has been successfully encoded, it must be stored in memory for later use.
Changes in the connections between nerve cells (known assynapses) are associated with the learning and retention of new information. Strengthening these connections helps commit information to memory.
This is why reviewing and rehearsing information improves the ability to remember it. Practice strengthens the connections between the synapses that store that memory.
Much of our stored memory lies outside of our awareness most of the time, except when we actually need to use it. The memory retrieval process allows us to bring stored memories into conscious awareness.
How Long-Term Memory Retrieval Works
How Long Do Memories Last?
Unfortunately, memories don’t always last, so we tend to forget a great deal of the things we learn. Some memories are very brief, just seconds long. Such memories allow people to take in sensory information about the world.
Short-term memories are a bit longer and last about 20 to 30 seconds. These memories mostly consist of the information people are currently focusing on and thinking about.
Some memories are capable of enduring much longer—lasting days, weeks, months, or even decades. Most of these long-term memories lie outside of immediate awareness but can be drawn intoconsciousnesswhen needed.
Why Do We Remember Painful Memories?Have you ever noticed that many times,painful memoriestend to hang on for long periods of time? Research suggests that this is because of increased biological arousal during the negative experience, which increases the longevity of that memory.
Why Do We Remember Painful Memories?
Have you ever noticed that many times,painful memoriestend to hang on for long periods of time? Research suggests that this is because of increased biological arousal during the negative experience, which increases the longevity of that memory.
Flashbulb Memory: What to Know About Vivid Recall
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 this process, including 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 just out of your reach, for instance? This is an example of a perplexing memory retrieval issue known aslethologicaor the tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon.
Lethologica or Tip-of-the-Tongue Phenomenon
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, andsolve problems. But in order to be retrievable, memories have to be organized in some way.
One way of thinking about memory organization is the semantic network model. This model suggests that certain triggers activate associated memories.Seeing or remembering a specific place might activate memories that have occurred in that location.
Thinking about a particular campus building, for example, might trigger memories of attending classes, studying, and socializing with peers.
Certain stimuli can also sometimes act as powerful triggers that draw memories into conscious awareness.Scentis one example. Smelling a particular smell, such as a perfume or fresh-baked cookies, can bring forth a rush of vivid memories connected to people and events from a person’s past.
In order to identify a scent, a person must remember when they have smelled it before, then connect it to visual information that occurred at the same time. So, when areas of the brain connected to memory are damaged, the ability to identify smells is actually impaired.
At the same time, researchers have found that scent can help trigger autobiographical memories in people who have Alzheimer’s disease.This underscores just how powerful memories can be.
3 Main Types of Memory
Sensory Memory
Sensory memoryis 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 forvisual informationand three or four seconds for auditory information.
People only pay attention to certain aspects of this sensory memory. Attending to sensory memory allows some of this information to pass into the next stage: short-term memory.
The Science Behind Echoic Memory: How Sound Lingers in Your Mind
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 theconscious 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 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.
In a famous paper published in 1956, psychologist George Miller suggested that the capacity of short-term memory for storing a list of items was somewhere between five and nine. Some memory researchers now believe that the true capacity of short-term memory is probably closer to four.
Long-Term Memory
Long-term memoryrefers to the continuing storage of information. InFreudian psychology, long-term memory would be called the preconscious andunconscious.
This information is largely outside our awareness but can be called into working memory for use when needed. Some memories are fairly easy to recall, while others are much more difficult to access.
RecapOne model suggests that there are three main types of memory: sensory memory, short-term memory, and long-term memory. Sensory memory is very brief, short-term memory is slightly longer, and long-term memory can last a lifetime.
Recap
One model suggests that there are three main types of memory: sensory memory, short-term memory, and long-term memory. Sensory memory is very brief, short-term memory is slightly longer, and long-term memory can last a lifetime.
Eidetic Memory: The Reality Behind the ‘Photographic’ Mind
Forgetting is a surprisingly common event. Just consider how easy it is to forget someone’s name or overlook an important appointment. Why do people so often forget information they have learned in the past?
There are four basic explanations forwhy forgetting occurs:
Research has shown that one of the critical factors that influence memory failure is time. Information is often quickly forgotten, particularly if people do not actively review and rehearse the information.
Sometimes information is simply lost from memory and, in other cases, it was never stored correctly in the first place. Some memories compete with one another, making it difficult to remember certain information. In other instances, people activelytry to forget thingsthat they simply don’t want to remember.
What Causes Memory Loss
No matter how great your memory is, there are probably a few things you can do to make it even better. Useful strategies to deal with mild memory loss include:
RecapUsing strategies to boost memory can be helpful for recall and retention. By learning how to use these strategies effectively, you can sidestep the faulty areas of your memory and train your brain to function in new ways.
Using strategies to boost memory can be helpful for recall and retention. By learning how to use these strategies effectively, you can sidestep the faulty areas of your memory and train your brain to function in new ways.
How to Protect Your Memory
While Alzheimer’s disease and other age-related memory problems affect many older adults, theloss of memoryduring later adulthood might not inevitable.Certain abilities do tend to decline with age, but researchers have found that individuals in their 70s often perform just as well on many cognitive tests as those in their 20s.
By the time people reach their 80s, it is common to experience some decline in cognitive function. But some types of memory even increase with age.
To help protect your brain as you age, try some of these lifestyle strategies:
RecapWhile there is no quick fix for ensuring that your memory stays intact as you age, researchers believe that avoiding stress, leading an active lifestyle, and remaining mentally engaged are important ways to decrease your risk of memory loss.
While there is no quick fix for ensuring that your memory stays intact as you age, researchers believe that avoiding stress, leading an active lifestyle, and remaining mentally engaged are important ways to decrease your risk of memory loss.
Takeaways
Human memory is a complex process that researchers are still trying to better understand. Our memories make us who we are, yet the process is not perfect. While we are capable of remembering an astonishing amount of information, we are also susceptible to memory-related mistakes and errors.
Natural Ways to Improve Memory
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Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
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