The persistence of learning over time through the encoding, storage, and retrieval of information.

The process of getting information into the memory system.

The process of retaining encoded information over time.

The process of getting information out of memory storage.

The immediate, very brief recording of information from the five senses into the memory system. The "entry point."

Memory that holds a few items briefly (15 - 30 seconds without rehearsal), such as the seven digits of a phone number while dialing, before that information is stored or forgotten.

The relatively permanent and limitless storehouse of the memory system. Includes knowledge, skills, and experiences.

A newer understanding of short-term memory that stresses conscious, active processing of information, whether newly encoded or retrieved from long-term memory.

Unconscious and unintentional encoding of everyday information.

Encoding that requires attention and conscious effort.

The tendency for distributed study or practice to yield better long-term retention than is achieved through massed study or practice.

Retaining learned skills or classically conditioned associations, without conscious awareness; also called non-declarative memory.

Memory of facts and personal events that you can consciously retrieve; also called declarative memory.

The strengthening of synapses between nerve cells. Believed to be the neural basis for learning and memory.

A clear memory of an emotionally significant moment or event.

Organizing items into familiar, manageable units; often occurs automatically.

Memory aids or tricks, especially techniques that use vivid imagery and organizational devices.

Enhanced memory after retrieving, rather than simply re-reading, information. Also sometimes referred to as the retrieval practice effect or test-enhanced learning.

A neural center located in the limbic system; helps process explicit memories for storage.

The activation, often unconsciously, of particular associations in memory.

Difficulty or inability that adults have remembering early childhood (because the brain is not developed enough to form long-term explicit memories).

Model of memory that assumes the processing of information for memory storage is similar to the way a computer processes memory in a series of stages; created by Atkinson and Shiffrin.

The "magical number" (the number of items that can be kept in short-term memory at a time).

Memory of personal events in a specific time and place.

Memory for general facts and concepts not linked to a specific time.

Memory for motor skills and habits, such as texting or riding a bike.

Memory of learned associations.

Mnemonic device in which you associate items you want to remember with a list of words you have already memorized (e.g. one is bun, two is shoe, three is tree, etc.).

Mnemonic device that involves taking a mental walk through a familiar location. A person connects specific locations with the items he or she wants to remember. Also called the "memory palace."

Part of the brain that plays an important role in forming and storing memories created by classical conditioning.

Part of the brain that helps form memories of physical skills (walking, cooking, dressing, etc.).

A form of sensory memory that allows the mind to temporarily perceive and store auditory information or sound.

A brief sensory memory of visual stimuli.

Repeating information over and over to maintain it in consciousness (keep it in short-term memory). Shallow processing.

Not only repeating information, but thinking about the meaning of new material and making connections to information already stored in memory; helps encode information into long-term memory. Deep processing.

Procedural, classical conditioning, priming

Semantic, episodic

Determines what information moves from sensory memory to short-term memory.