I’m trying to store this information in my long-term memory because it’s information I’ll need in the future. Next semester I am taking Principles of Chemistry II, and the year after I will be in Organic Chemistry. Chemistry is a topic that continually builds on its basic concepts, so this is …show more content…
First, we interpret stimuli from the world in our sensory memory. Here, snapshots of the world get fused into an experience. The duration of information lasting in the sensory memory is about 1/3 of a second. If someone pays attention to a specific piece of information in the sensory memory, it goes to short-term memory. If not, the information decays.
Next, information reaches short-term memory, where it requires rehearsal. Without rehearsal, items decay from the short-term memory after 18-20 seconds. This area of memory can hold between 5-9 pieces of information. However, individual pieces of information can be chunked together in a meaningful way and can therefore process as one piece of information out of the 5-9.
After that, information reaches long-term memory, where it has the risk of decaying because of a lack of use or from interference. Long-term memory retrieves information from the short-term memory. Memories can last forever in the long-term memory, as long as we still rehearse the information, or retrieve it and save it as a new …show more content…
Shallow encoding is having the general idea of something. For example, knowing that a Rubik’s cube is a square and has colors on it. Deep encoding is being able to process it on a deeper level, by making connections, or elaborating on the material. An example of deep encoding would be making the connections needed between what moves on the Rubik’s cube get all of one color on one side of the cube. Additionally, note taking can relate to how deeply information is encoded and how our memory is formed. Typing notes doesn’t help us remember much, as we can type as quickly as the professor speaks, so we’re just copying down everything verbatim. On the other hand, writing causes us to stop and think about the notes we’re taking. Our hands aren’t fast enough to catch everything the professor says, so we have to stop and listen, pick out the important information, and paraphrase. Writing notes by hand causes us to learn and process more durable