The Three Memory
Systems
Sensory Memory
-is the brief storage of
perceptual information
Composed of
Echoic memory
-is our auditory memory
Iconic memory
-is our visual memory
Short-Term Memory
-retains information
for limited durations
Capacity
Duration
-is no longer than 20 seconds
Magic Number
-is 7 plus or minus 2 piece of information
Reasons we
lose information
Decay
-the fading of information over time
Interference
-the loss of information due to the
competition of additional information
Long-Term Memory
-retained information
can last from minutes
to years
Consists of
Procedural Memory
-memory for how to do things,
including motor skills and habits
Episodic Memory
-recollection of events in our lives
Semantic Memory
-our knowledge of facts about
the world