Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsTypes of Sensory MemorySensory MemoryCharacteristics of Sensory MemoryExamples of Sensory MemorySperling’s Memory Experiments

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Table of Contents

Types of Sensory Memory

Sensory Memory

Characteristics of Sensory Memory

Examples of Sensory Memory

Sperling’s Memory Experiments

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Sensory memory is a very brief memory that allows people to retain impressions of sensory information after the original stimulus has ceased. It is often thought of as the first stage ofmemorythat involves registering a tremendous amount of information about the environment, but only for a very brief period.

The purpose of sensory memory is to retain information long enough for it to be recognized.

At a GlanceSensory memory is averyshort-term storage for information from the senses. It persists briefly and allows for processing even after the stimulus has ended. It allows you to retain brief impressions of information so you can interpret and interact with the world around you. In some instances, this information may be transferred to short-term memory, but in most cases, it quickly fades. While sensory memory may be brief, it is crucial to attention and memory.

At a Glance

Sensory memory is averyshort-term storage for information from the senses. It persists briefly and allows for processing even after the stimulus has ended. It allows you to retain brief impressions of information so you can interpret and interact with the world around you. In some instances, this information may be transferred to short-term memory, but in most cases, it quickly fades. While sensory memory may be brief, it is crucial to attention and memory.

Types of Sensory Memory

Experts believe that different senses have different types of sensory memory. The different types of sensory memory have also been shown to have slightly different durations.

Iconic Memory

Also known as visual sensory memory,iconic memoryinvolves a very brief image. This type of sensory memory typically lasts for aboutone-quarter to one-half of a second.

Echoic Memory

Also known as auditory sensory memory,echoic memoryinvolves a very brief memory of sound a bit like an echo. This type of sensory memory can last for up tothree to four seconds.

Haptic Memory

Also known as tactile memory, haptic involves the very brief memory of a touch. This type of sensory memory lasts for approximatelytwo seconds.

How Does Sensory Memory Work?

During every moment of your existence, your senses are constantly taking in an enormous amount of information about what you see, feel, smell, hear, and taste. While this information is important, there is simply no way to remember each and every detail about what you experience at every moment.

Instead, your sensory memory creates something of a quick “snapshot” of the world around you, allowing you to briefly focus yourattentionon relevant details.

So just how brief is a sensory memory? Experts suggest that these memories last forthree seconds or less.

While fleeting, sensory memory allows us to briefly retain an impression of an environmental stimulus even after the original information source has vanished. By attending to this information, we can then transfer important details into the next stage of memory, which is known asshort-term memory.

Sensory memory is an automatic process; it occurs automatically without conscious control:

Examples of iconic memory include situations where you briefly have an image in your head after the sight is gone. For instance, after turning off a flashlight, there is a brief image of the light in your memory. Or, after glimpsing an exit sign on the interstate, you can briefly see the image in your mind.

An example of echoic memory would be the brief memory of the blare of a car horn or the sound of an instrument, even after the noise has ended.

Haptic memory examples might include the brief memory of something brushing up against your skin.

In each instance, the very brief lingering memory you experience allows you to recognize and process the experience.

Sperling’s Sensory Memory Experiments

The participants then immediately repeated as many of the letters as they could remember seeing.While most of the participants were only able to report about four or five letters, some insisted that they had seen all the letters but that the information faded too quickly as they reported them.

If subjects heard the high-pitched tone, they were to report the top row, those who heard the medium-pitched were to report the middle row, and those who heard the low-pitched were to report the bottom row.

Sperling found that participants were able to recall the letters as long as the tone was sounded within one-third of a second of the letter display.

When the interval was extended to over one-third of a second, the accuracy of the letter reports declined significantly, and anything over one second made it virtually impossible to recall the letters.

Sperling suggested that because the participants focused on the indicated row before their visual memory faded, they could recall the information. The recall was nearly impossible when the tone was sounded after sensory memory faded.

6 SourcesVerywell 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.Pratte MS.Iconic memories die a sudden death.Psychol Sci. 2018;29(6):877-887. doi:10.1177/0956797617747118Dubrowski, A.Evidence for haptic memory. World Haptics 2009 - Third Joint EuroHaptics conference and Symposium on Haptic Interfaces for Virtual Environment and Teleoperator Systems, Salt Lake City, UT, USA. doi:10.1109/WHC.2009.4810867Öğmen H, Herzog MH.A new conceptualization of human visual sensory-memory.Front Psychol. 2016;7:830. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00830Tripathy SP, Öǧmen H.Sensory memory is allocated exclusively to the current event-segment.Front Psychol. 2018;9:1435. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01435Persuh M, Genzer B, Melara RD.Iconic memory requires attention.Front Hum Neurosci. 2012;6:126. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2012.00126Sperling G.The information available in brief visual presentations.Psychological Monographs: General and Applied. 1960;74(11):1-29. doi:10.1037/h0093759

6 Sources

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.Pratte MS.Iconic memories die a sudden death.Psychol Sci. 2018;29(6):877-887. doi:10.1177/0956797617747118Dubrowski, A.Evidence for haptic memory. World Haptics 2009 - Third Joint EuroHaptics conference and Symposium on Haptic Interfaces for Virtual Environment and Teleoperator Systems, Salt Lake City, UT, USA. doi:10.1109/WHC.2009.4810867Öğmen H, Herzog MH.A new conceptualization of human visual sensory-memory.Front Psychol. 2016;7:830. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00830Tripathy SP, Öǧmen H.Sensory memory is allocated exclusively to the current event-segment.Front Psychol. 2018;9:1435. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01435Persuh M, Genzer B, Melara RD.Iconic memory requires attention.Front Hum Neurosci. 2012;6:126. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2012.00126Sperling G.The information available in brief visual presentations.Psychological Monographs: General and Applied. 1960;74(11):1-29. doi:10.1037/h0093759

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.

Pratte MS.Iconic memories die a sudden death.Psychol Sci. 2018;29(6):877-887. doi:10.1177/0956797617747118Dubrowski, A.Evidence for haptic memory. World Haptics 2009 - Third Joint EuroHaptics conference and Symposium on Haptic Interfaces for Virtual Environment and Teleoperator Systems, Salt Lake City, UT, USA. doi:10.1109/WHC.2009.4810867Öğmen H, Herzog MH.A new conceptualization of human visual sensory-memory.Front Psychol. 2016;7:830. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00830Tripathy SP, Öǧmen H.Sensory memory is allocated exclusively to the current event-segment.Front Psychol. 2018;9:1435. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01435Persuh M, Genzer B, Melara RD.Iconic memory requires attention.Front Hum Neurosci. 2012;6:126. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2012.00126Sperling G.The information available in brief visual presentations.Psychological Monographs: General and Applied. 1960;74(11):1-29. doi:10.1037/h0093759

Pratte MS.Iconic memories die a sudden death.Psychol Sci. 2018;29(6):877-887. doi:10.1177/0956797617747118

Dubrowski, A.Evidence for haptic memory. World Haptics 2009 - Third Joint EuroHaptics conference and Symposium on Haptic Interfaces for Virtual Environment and Teleoperator Systems, Salt Lake City, UT, USA. doi:10.1109/WHC.2009.4810867

Öğmen H, Herzog MH.A new conceptualization of human visual sensory-memory.Front Psychol. 2016;7:830. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00830

Tripathy SP, Öǧmen H.Sensory memory is allocated exclusively to the current event-segment.Front Psychol. 2018;9:1435. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01435

Persuh M, Genzer B, Melara RD.Iconic memory requires attention.Front Hum Neurosci. 2012;6:126. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2012.00126

Sperling G.The information available in brief visual presentations.Psychological Monographs: General and Applied. 1960;74(11):1-29. doi:10.1037/h0093759

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