What is memory?

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Memory is our ability to encode, store, retain and subsequently remember and recall information or past experiences as well as previously learned impressions, skills and habits in the human brain.

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There are three types of memory:

  • sensory memory: This is the ability to memorize and retain sensory information (auditory, tactile, visual, olfactory and gustatory information) in a short–term period; some of the information contained in sensory memory, can become short–term memory, which can store information for just a few minutes while other information contained in short–term memory, can become long–term memory, which can be preserved for days or for a lifetime.
  • short–term memory (working memory): This specific memory refers to the information we are currently thinking of. According to Freudian psychology, this kind of memory refers to a conscious mind. It can be considered the ability to remember and process information at the same time. It keeps a small amount of information (around 7 items or even less) in mind for a short period of time (generally from 10 to 15 seconds, or sometimes up to a minute). It is also called working memory because it is where the thought process takes place and where information is processed mentally.
  • long–term memory: This memory includes the storage of information, which is preserved over a long period of time. Long–term storage has an unlimited capacity (it contains all long–lasting knowledge and thoughts); by contrast short–term memory has a limited capacity (it contains the present thoughts only). Long–term memory can be divided into two further types of memory: explicit (or declarative) memory and implicit (or procedural) memory; the first one has to do with remembering facts and events, and refers to those memories that can be consciously recalled (or “declared”), while the second one is the unconscious memory of skills and abilities, which particularly involves using objects or moving the body. These memories are typically acquired through repetition and practice.

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