Chapter 8 Entry

Memory or the persistence of learning over time through the storage and retrieval of information is what creates each person's life story. Without memory you and I would be "lifeless". Memory isn't just looking at something and being able to remember it a couple hours later. It is way more complex. Before I am able to remember something I have to encode the information into my memory system by extracting the meaning. Once I have this information encoded it needs to be stored. By storing information I am retaining encoded information over time. The third step in my memory process is retrieval. This is the process of getting information out of the memory storage. There are three different stages that form my memories. The first stage is my short-term memory. This is my active memory that holds only a few items for a brief moment. For example, remembering a phone number while I dial would be a part of my short-term memory because once I am done dialing the number is stored and forgotten. Another stage is my long-term memory. This is the relatively permanent and limitless storehouse of my memory system. This member stage is where I keep the information of riding a bike, swimming, and other skills or knowledge. The third stage is my working memory. Working memory is a newer understanding of short-term memory. It focuses on conscious, active processing of incoming auditory and visual-spatial information along with information received from long-term memory.