Memory

Memory

The capacity to encode (acquire), store (retain), and retrieve information.

Acquisition (Encoding)

Transforming information into a storable form.

Retention (Storage)

Maintaining information over time.

Retrieval

Accessing stored information.

Shallow processing

Focuses on sensory features such as sound and appearance.

Deep processing

Focuses on meaning, associations, and connections to prior knowledge.

Sensory Memory

Very brief storage of raw sensory input.

Iconic Memory

Visual sensory memory lasting approximately 0.25 seconds.

Echoic Memory

Auditory sensory memory lasting approximately 3 seconds.

Short-Term Memory (STM)

Holds information currently in use with a capacity of 7 ± 2 items.

Long-Term Memory (LTM)

Virtually unlimited capacity and duration.

Declarative (Explicit) Memory

Conscious recall of facts and events.

Episodic Memory

Personal experiences and specific events.

Semantic Memory

Facts and meanings, such as definitions and vocabulary.

Procedural (Implicit) Memory

Skills and habits that do not require conscious recall.

Flashbulb Memory

Vivid memory of emotionally charged events.

Priming

Prior exposure increases the likelihood of recall or response later.

Recall

Retrieve information without cues.

Recognition

Identify correct information from options.

Reconstruction

Rebuild memory from fragments, which can be error-prone.

Confabulation

Filling memory gaps with plausible but false details.

H.M. Case Study

Demonstrated the importance of the hippocampus in memory formation and anterograde amnesia.

Long-Term Potentiation (LTP)

Strengthening of synaptic connections and the neural basis of long-term memory.

Adrenaline & Noradrenaline

Hormones released during emotional arousal that signal the brain to prioritize memory formation.

Own-Group Bias

Tendency to recognize faces of one’s own group more accurately than others.

Contact Hypothesis

More exposure to similar faces enhances recognition accuracy.

Eyewitness Memory

Can be confident but unreliable, contributing to wrongful convictions.

Facial Memory

Shaped by familiarity rather than accuracy.