Memory systems

Definition

Memory systems in plain English

Your brain doesn't store memories in one big bucket — it has a few different storage systems, each with a different job and lifespan. First, sensory memory holds a split-second snapshot of what you just saw (about a quarter-second, called iconic) or heard (a few seconds, called echoic) — it's why you can still 'hear' a sentence for a moment after someone stops talking. Next, short-term (working) memory is your mental sticky note: it holds only about 7±2 chunks of info for roughly 20 seconds unless you keep rehearsing them, which is why phone numbers are hard to hold. Finally, long-term memory is the deep archive, split into 'declarative' facts and events you can consciously state (episodic = things that happened to you, semantic = general knowledge) and 'non-declarative' stuff your body just does without thinking (procedural skills like riding a bike, plus reflexes learned through conditioning).

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