Memory

Remember Dory? She had short-term memory issues.

Short-Term Memory lasts only for a few seconds. In addition to this, it can hold only a very small chunk of information, such as a 7-digit phone number. Virtually all the information that you need to remember must be put into short-term memory in order for you to store it in long-term memory. That means you need strategies to consolidate or file the information to enter long-term memory.

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Remember how to ride a bike, surf that awesome wave?
Aaah! An experience not easily forgotten!
You got it. It's because of your awesome long-term memory!

Long-Term Memory lasts forever it seems. No one actually knows its capacity. Long-term memory holds our memories for our best friend's face or her name, or what we did last summer.

Once information reaches long-term memory, it is stored in a file that you can access whenever you need it, provided you remember where you filed it. back to TOP

Working Memory is the memory we need while we are actively doing something with information, like writing. We need to suspend the things we are remembering much like a juggling act. For instance, solving an algebraic equation requires all kinds of working memory. First you need to remember the procedure for solving problems, and then remember the correct operation and the procedure for that operation as well as the math facts to solve the problem. You need to hold all that in your mind at the same time. Writing is also hard on working memory because you need to remember your thoughts while you are choosing the correct words and thinking about how to phrase a sentence, noting the punctuation and spelling, etc.
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Strategies for memorizing information