Health & Medicine
Human Brain Functions: Different Types of Memory Processes and What They Mean
Thomas Carannante
First Posted: Feb 28, 2014 05:13 PM EST
There are five different types of memory that contribute to our short-term and long-term memory capabilities. They incorporate actions, feelings, experiences, recollections, common knowledge, and consciousness.
Memory has been described in two different ways: the process of retaining information over time and the ability to use our past experiences to determine our future path. Whichever definition is correct, either way, we would be unable to function properly without the effectiveness of our memory. Below are the known memory processes orchestrated by your brain:
Implicit Memory: This type of memory is often referred to as unconscious memory or automatic memory because its function uses past experiences to make recollections without having to consciously think about them.
Explicit Memory: Also referred to as declarative memory, explicit memory requires conscious thinking to recall something. For example, you might know what golf is having played it once or twice (an example of implicit memory), but it would take explicit memory to have you recall what clubs to use and how to swing them.
Procedural Memory: As implied in its name, this memory function is associated with knowing how to do things; things that typically incorporate your motor skills. It's similar to implicit memory because you don't have to rack your brain in order to perform the actions that procedural memory assists, including walking, playing sports, playing an instrument, etc.
Semantic Memory: Perhaps the most "ordinary" memory function, semantic memory is associated with common knowledge, particularly factual things that do not require further abstract thinking. This includes who somebody is, where something is located, the alphabet, the date an event occurred, etc.
Episodic Memory: This memory process was explained extensively in an article published earlier this week. It requires three steps for its full effectiveness, but the general knowledge is that episodic memory is a person's unique recollection of an event. This is perhaps the most interesting memory function that many people can relate to, because most of us have experienced an event with somebody else, and yet different people recall it in different ways. This is a result of episodic memory, as emotions play a large role in what an individual recalls and how they recall it.
To read more about memory function, visit this Live Science article and this PositScience article.
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First Posted: Feb 28, 2014 05:13 PM EST
There are five different types of memory that contribute to our short-term and long-term memory capabilities. They incorporate actions, feelings, experiences, recollections, common knowledge, and consciousness.
Memory has been described in two different ways: the process of retaining information over time and the ability to use our past experiences to determine our future path. Whichever definition is correct, either way, we would be unable to function properly without the effectiveness of our memory. Below are the known memory processes orchestrated by your brain:
Implicit Memory: This type of memory is often referred to as unconscious memory or automatic memory because its function uses past experiences to make recollections without having to consciously think about them.
Explicit Memory: Also referred to as declarative memory, explicit memory requires conscious thinking to recall something. For example, you might know what golf is having played it once or twice (an example of implicit memory), but it would take explicit memory to have you recall what clubs to use and how to swing them.
Procedural Memory: As implied in its name, this memory function is associated with knowing how to do things; things that typically incorporate your motor skills. It's similar to implicit memory because you don't have to rack your brain in order to perform the actions that procedural memory assists, including walking, playing sports, playing an instrument, etc.
Semantic Memory: Perhaps the most "ordinary" memory function, semantic memory is associated with common knowledge, particularly factual things that do not require further abstract thinking. This includes who somebody is, where something is located, the alphabet, the date an event occurred, etc.
Episodic Memory: This memory process was explained extensively in an article published earlier this week. It requires three steps for its full effectiveness, but the general knowledge is that episodic memory is a person's unique recollection of an event. This is perhaps the most interesting memory function that many people can relate to, because most of us have experienced an event with somebody else, and yet different people recall it in different ways. This is a result of episodic memory, as emotions play a large role in what an individual recalls and how they recall it.
To read more about memory function, visit this Live Science article and this PositScience article.
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone