SENSORY MEMORY

SENSORY MEMORY

What is Memory?

 

• Memory is the process we use to store and recall information
• Memory is a collection of systems for the storage and recall of  information (personal experiences, emotions, facts, procedures, skills and habits).
• There is no universally agreed upon model of memory.
• Memory systems are imperfect, they are not like electronic storage systems.
• Memory systems have limited capacities.

Sensory Memory

• Sensory memory is the shortest-term element of memory.
• It is the ability to retain impressions of sensory information after the original stimuli have ended.
• It acts as a kind of buffer for stimuli received through the five senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch, which are retained accurately, but very briefly.
• For example, the ability to look at something and remember what it looked like with just a second of observation is an example of sensory memory.
• Input from the senses is placed in a short-term (really short-term) store called as sensory register or sensory memory.
• To give you an idea of the time-frame involved, visual input from the eyes remains in sensory memory for 1 to 2 seconds.
• Auditory input from the ears has a slightly longer time of 5 seconds.

Types sensory memory.

Visual Memory 

1. Visual Memory involves the ability to store and retrieve sensory input from the eyes.
2. This is also referred to as iconic memory.
3. When a person can vividly recall an enormous amount of visual information with extreme accuracy after only a short exposure, that person is said to have an eidetic or photographic memory.

Spatial Memory 

• Spatial memory is a special aspect of visual memory related to one’s environment and its spatial orientation. 
• If you can read maps well and remember routes well, then your spatial memory is good.

Echoic Memory 

• That is the sound echoing in your ears. 
• Musicians, in general, have a good echoic memory and recall notes of snippets of music they heard.

Haptic Memory 

• Haptic Memory is related to touch. 
• That is my haptic memory speaking. 
• Generally, people using Braille have a good haptic memory.

Olfactory Memory 

• Olfactory Memory is related to smells. 
• Those dealing with perfumes, I am pretty sure, have excellent olfactory memory.
•  That is your olfactory memory showing its presence.

Gustatory Memory 

• That memoryis related to taste. 
• Some people can recall precise details of how a dish tasted like while others will just tell you the taste was good or bad.