Sensory Memory Analysis

When I was younger I would walk to school every day and I would walk pass this brick house that stood on the corner by its self with three green steps leading to a white door. For some reason that house always looked familiar to me and I always had a bad feeling about this house but I have never known why, until one day my dad picked me up from school and we walked passed that same house and I asked my dad why does that house look so familiar? He told me that I was born and raised in that house until I was ten years old. He told me that two guys broke into that house and tried to rob our house while everyone was sleep. My dad was just getting off of work when he caught one of the robbers and the other jumped out of the window. My dad told me

that my mom almost dies in that house because the robber that jumped out of the window cut my mom’s throat while I was sleeping in her arms. The point of this story is I couldn’t remember anything about that house until my dad told me that story. It’s interesting how my brain suppress this memory. In my essay I will talk about the process The Foundations of Memory and how memory is stored into your brain.
The process of memory in The Foundations of Memory in chapter six states that memory has three main parts for storing information similar to a computer. The first stage of memory is called Encoding. Encoding is similar to the keyboard of a computer. It depends on how you record the information properly into your memory. The second stage of memory is called Storage. The storage part of your memory is compared to the hard drive of the computer. If the information is not stored properly into your memory you cannot recall the information later when you really need it. Memory also depends on the last stage called Retrieval. Retrieval can be compared to software that accesses the information for display. The information that’s in your memory storage has to be located and brought into awareness to be useful.
According to The Foundation of Memory in chapter six there are three different types of memories.

The three different types of memories are Sensory Memories, Short-Term Memory and Long –Term Memory.
Sensory memory is the initial, momentary storage of information lasting only an instant. Basically it’s only takes one second to smell something, touch something, hear sounds and see something familiar to trigger a sensory memory. Sensory memory can store information for only a very short time. My personal experience with sensory memory is when I hear Kirk Franklin’s song “I Smile” I instantly thinking of my big brother. I first heard that song five years ago at my brother’s funeral. Since then every time I heard that song I think of my brother.
Short-Term memory is the memory store in which information first has meaning; although the maximum length of retention there is relatively short (Hamilton & Martin, 2007). Most psychologists believe that Short-Term memory is memory that holds information for fifteen to twenty five seconds unless stored to become a long term memory. Short- Term memory can be stored in chunks. For example if you see a bunch of numbers like this (4438040829) most likely it’s going to be difficult to remember a random bunch of numbers. But if you see the same group of numbers chopped up into chunks like this (443-804-0829) there is a greater chance of remembering the numbers because they are in groups and of threes and fours. This is how I remember my cell phone

number.
In chapter six of The Foundations of Memory, page 203 states ‘that material that makes its way from Short- term memory to Long- Term memory enters a storehouse with almost unlimited amount of storage space.’ There are four types of memory within the Long-Term memory. Each of these memory modules represents a separate memory system in the brain. There are the two types of memories within the Long- Term memory; Declarative Memory, Procedural Memory also known as Nondeclarative Memory and two subdivided memories within Declarative memory Semantic Memory and Episodic Memory.
In chapter six in The Foundations of Memory the definition of Declarative memory is memory for factual information: names, faces, dates, and facts. In other words Information about things is declarative memory. For example I know that my brother’s birthday is September 21, 1986. There are two subdivide memories within declarative memory, Semantic Memory and Episodic Memory. Semantic Memory is memory for general knowledge and facts about the world, as well as memory for the rules of logic that are used to deduce other facts. For example and that Barack Obama is the president of the United States. Episodic memory is memory for events that occur in a particular time, place, or context. For example I remember the time I went to Bend, Organ for the first time for my brother’s wedding.
Procedural memory refers to memory for skills and habits, such as how to ride a bike or how to throw a ball. For example I remember the first time I learned how to drive a car I was so nervous my legs were shaking and now when I drive a car I know what I am doing and I’m not nervous anymore. You can also say that Procedural memory is information about how to do things.