The Stages of Memory Formation

Memory is the process in which the mind interprets, stores, and retrieves information. Memory serves human beings in many complex ways.

- Dr Arun Oommen

It enables us to process our environment, improve behavior and gives context to our lives. Studies of this psychological phenomenon reveal that memory occurs in stages, which gives us valuable insight into the inner workings of the brain. Forming new memories is an incredibly complex and fascinating process. Researchers have been able to trace memory down to the structural and even the molecular level in recent years, showing that memories are stored throughout many brain structures in the connections between neurons, and can even depend on a single molecule for their long-term stability.

Although memory remains susceptible to all sorts of problems, the brain’s elasticity is unique and remarkable. Memory is just as capable of improving as decaying.

Stages of Memory Creation 

The brain has three types of memory processes: sensory register, short-term memory, and long-term memory.

Sensory Register 

In the sensory register process, the brain obtains information from the environment. This activity is short, lasting at most a few seconds. During the sensory register, the brain gathers information passively through visual and auditory cues known respectively as “iconic” and “echoic” memory. When you look at a computer screen and then look away, but can still see the screen’s image, this is iconic memory at play. Similarly, when you have conversations with others and ask them to repeat themselves, only to understand what they said a moment later, it demonstrates echoic memory. In the memory-making process, attention is considered a stage between the sensory register and short-term memory. Short-term memory formation can begin by giving your attention to the information received through the sensory register. 

Short-Term Memory