The 6 types of memory (and their characteristics)

Memory is one of the brain functions that makes us human, as it allows us to store, encode and retrieve information from the past, in order to promote a persistence of learning throughout the life of the individual (and society).

Despite the fact that various informative portals collect the powerful memory of elephants, fish, dogs, dolphins, bees and many other animals, none of these functions brain has been scrutinized as extensively as that of the human being, since we hominids present the most complex brain structure of the entire scale evolutionary.

Immerse yourself with us in this exciting world of memories and neurobiology, then with more than 86,000 million neurons brain cells and 100 billion synapses between them, we hold the banner of cultural persistence throughout the centuries thanks to memory.

• We recommend you read: "The 12 types of intelligence that exist according to psychology"

What is memory?

According to the Royal Spanish Academy of the Language (RAE), memory is defined as

the psychic faculty by which the past is retained and remembered. Certain theories claim that memory occurs as a result of repetitive synaptic connections between neurons, creating neural networks. As surprising as it may seem, this hypothesis has been tested in multiple animal groups throughout history, but not enough in humans (for obvious ethical reasons).

Memory is not a “thing”, nor a warehouse, nor a library nor a camera: it is a faculty that is conserved, trained and elaborated throughout the individual's life. From a philosophical point of view we are facing an essential tool for life, since it allows us "Be", "be" and configure the relevant responses based on our feelings and experiences past.

• You may be interested in: "What are mirror neurons and what are they for?"

As a final note regarding the definition of memory, we must point out that there are three stages that allow us to remember. We tell you briefly:

• Coding: transformation of what we feel or receive as stimuli into a mental representation. It largely depends on attention and concentration.
• Storage: retain the data in memory for later use. This storage can be from a few seconds to a lifetime.
• Recovery: location and updating of stored memory. Something like "going to memories."

Memory is based on these three pillars and, thanks to it, we know who we are as individual entities and we move towards a more sophisticated society, since every grain of sand put in the past is part of the beach of knowledge that we conserve today in day.

How are the ways of memorizing classified?

Once we have defined the term memory and its bases, it is time to immerse ourselves, without further delay, in the 6 types of memory. We will divide them into three large blocks, depending on whether they occur in the short or long term. Go for it.

1. Sensory memory

Sensory memory is the ability to record sensations perceived through the senses. It is characterized by processing a large amount of information at the same time, but for a very short time, about 250 milliseconds. There are several types within this category.

1.1 Iconic memory

The register of sensory memory related to the sense of sight. In this type, visual information is stored for approximately a third of a second and only those elements to which the individual pays attention are selected and fixed.

1.2 Echoic memory

This type of memory is responsible for retaining the stimuli perceived by the auditory system. Auditory information is stored for 3-4 seconds and the sound image remains active in the mind during this interval, which is why the individual can reproduce it.

1.3 Haptic memory

This concept works with tactile information and, therefore, with sensations as common as pain, tingling, heat, itching, or vibration. In this case, the information is stored for a little longer (about 8 seconds) and allows us to examine objects by touch and interact with them.

It is interesting to pose the dilemma of the rest of the senses, since certain informative portals place gustatory and olfactory memory as subtypes of sensory memory, but others do not have them in account. We are facing two senses much less developed in humans than in other living beings and, therefore, categorizing these last two types of memory at the same level as the echoic or iconic would be, at the very least, strange.

2. Short term memory

Short-term memory (MCP) can be defined as the memory mechanism that allows us to retain a limited amount of information for a short period of time. The amount of information that can be retained in this interval is estimated to be 7 items (2 up or down) for about 30 seconds maximum.

We can perceive short-term memory as a gateway to long-term memory or, failing that, a "store" that allows the individual to retain information that is relevant at a particular time, but will not need to use in a future.

3. Long term memory

Long-term memory is the concept with which human beings are most familiar, since it is the one with which we allows us to consciously remember the elements of the past that encode our actions, thoughts and feelings. Unlike short-term memory, this variant can hold an indefinite amount of information for an unlimited time (until the individual dies), at least theoretically speaking.

It's time to grab the seat, for curves are coming. Within this category we find a complex typology and a little more extensive than what has been presented so far. We will try to summarize it in a few lines.

3.1 Explicit (declarative) memory

Explicit memory is one that comes into play when the individual wants to remember something intentionally, that is, the facts are consciously and voluntarily evoked. The clearest example is that of a student remembering the subject for an exam, but the truth is that human beings use declarative memory continuously: that appointment with the doctor, remembering the WiFi password, not forgetting to take a pill and many other examples are cases of the implementation of memory explicit.

It should be noted that within this category memory can be semantic (remembering concepts that are not linked to experiences specific, such as dates, numbers or names) and episodic (recall events, moments or autobiographical, that is, that the individual has vivid).

3.2 Implicit memory (non-declarative or procedural)

Procedural memory is one that, as its name suggests, stores related information with procedures and strategies that allow us to interact with the environment that surrounds us in a consequent. In other words, he is the type who participates in the memory of the motor and executive skills necessary to perform a task.

According to experts, this type of memory does not require a conscious effort (as it is remembering a date) and learning is acquired gradually, through the execution of the task that is being learned and a feedback process. The speed of execution of the task, as dictated by the Law of Practice, suffers an exponential increase during the first repetitions. It's as simple as saying that the more we do something, the faster it comes out.

It should be noted that this series of motor repertoires or cognitive strategies are unconscious, that is, we develop and put into practice without realizing it. "Book" examples of implicit memory can be writing, cycling or driving: we are not thinking in the most efficient to carry out these events or remembering what were the steps to carry them out, because we simply do them "without think".

Resume

As we have seen in these lines, the world of memory is full of terms, considerations and time intervals. From iconic memory (which lasts no more than a third of a second) to implicit memory (which can accompany a lifetime), there is a range of types with their characteristics and functionalities clear.

Unfortunately, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that up to 8% of the population over 60 years of age will suffer from dementia in their lifetime, that is, you will forget much of everything stored in your life history. Let's dedicate these last lines to appreciating the ability to remember, since not all human beings have that privilege.

• We recommend you read: "The 12 types of dementia (causes, symptoms and treatment)"

Bibliographic references

• What is short term memory? Cognifit.com. Picked up on November 12 in https://www.cognifit.com/es/habilidad-cognitiva/memoria-a-corto-plazo
• What is sensory memory? Cerebrodigital.org. Picked up on November 12 in https://cerebrodigital.org/post/Que-es-la-memoria-sensorial
• Dementia, World Health Organization (WHO). Picked up on November 12 in https://www.who.int/es/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/dementia#:~:text=La%20demencia%20es%20un%20s%C3%ADndrome, % 20of% 20daily% 20life% 20 activities. & text =% 20Alzheimer's% 20sickness% 20% 2C% 20que,% 2070% 25% 20of% 20the% 20cases.
• Topic 4, memory, humanities degree, University of Alicante. Picked up on November 12 in https://rua.ua.es/dspace/bitstream/10045/4298/4/TEMA%204.LA%20MEMORIA.pdf