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Types of Human Memory Explained

Our memories are linked to our identities and come in different types, from fleeting to lifelong. Explicit memory involves consciously recalled experiences and facts, and is affected by conditions like Alzheimer's. Implicit memory includes unconscious procedural memories and priming effects. Short-term memory enables remembering small amounts of information temporarily, from seconds in working memory to longer in episodic memory.

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13 views2 pages

Types of Human Memory Explained

Our memories are linked to our identities and come in different types, from fleeting to lifelong. Explicit memory involves consciously recalled experiences and facts, and is affected by conditions like Alzheimer's. Implicit memory includes unconscious procedural memories and priming effects. Short-term memory enables remembering small amounts of information temporarily, from seconds in working memory to longer in episodic memory.

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Placement officer
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© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Our memories are inextricably linked with our identities—from memory of a childhood

home or pet to remembering the address of a favourite restaurant.

There are several different types of memories, some of which are fleeting, and others
that last a lifetime. Normally, when we talk about memory or remembering things, we
are referring to explicit memory, which is consciously recalled. Explicit memories can
be episodic, meaning that they relate to experiences or 'episodes' in your life (e.g., a
particular holiday or the first time you were stung by a bee); or, they are semantic,
relating to facts or general knowledge (e.g., that the brain has about 90 billion neurons).
Explicit memories are clearly affected by neurodegenerative diseases such
as Alzheimer’s disease.

Image credit: Queensland Brain Institute

Long-term memory
As seen in the diagram above, explicit memory is one type of long-term memory. The
other kind of long-term memory is implicit, or unconscious memory. These unconscious
memories may be procedural, involving learned motor skills—learning how to ride a bike
or how to type using a keyboard, for example.

Implicit memories can also result from priming, which occurs when exposure to one
stimulus influences your brain’s response to another. For example, in word-judging
tasks, participants identify pairs of associated words such as BREAD–BUTTER faster
than non-associated pairs such as BREAD–DOCTOR.
Short-term memory
Short-term memory enables the brain to remember a small amount of information for a
short period of time. The shortest type of memory is known as working memory, which
can last just seconds. This is what we use to hold information in our head while we
engage in other cognitive processes. An example is remembering the numbers a new
friend recites as you navigate your phone’s menu system to add a contact. A person’s
working memory capability is one of the best predictors of general intelligence, as
measured by standard psychological tests.

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