Stages of Memory

Meaning

            Retaining and recalling of information over a period of time.

            A cognitive store house of representative information where frequency of recalling strengthens its retention. 

            Information remembered from the past.

Definition

            “Memory is the means by which we draw on our past experiences in order to use this information in the present” (Sternberg, 1999).

            Memory, the encoding, storage, and retrieval in the human mind of past experiences (britannica.com).

Stages of Memory

            Memory consists of following three independent yet interrelated stages. The information that enters through our sense organs to the cognitive domain has move through these stages.

Stage I – Encoding

Stage II – Storage

Stage III – Retrieval

(i)        Encoding – Encoding occurs during the initial processing of a stimulus or event. It refers to a process by which information is recorded and registered for the first time so that it becomes usable by our memory system. Whenever an external stimulus impinges on our sensory organs, it generates neural impulses. These are received in different areas of our brain for further processing. In encoding, incoming information is received and some meaning is derived. It is then represented in a way so that it can be processed further. Maturation and experience influence this process.

(ii)       Storage - Information which was encoded must also be stored so that it can be put to use later. Storage, therefore, refers to the process through which information is retained and held over a period of time.

(iii)      Retrieval - Information can be used only when one is able to recover it from her/his memory. Retrieval refers to bringing the stored information to her/his awareness so that it can be used for performing various cognitive tasks such as problem solving or decision-making. It may be interesting to note that memory failure can occur at any of these stages. You may fail to recall an information because you did not encode it properly, or the storage was weak so you could not access or retrieve it when required.

References:

1.         NCERT, XI Psychology Text book.

2.         http://egyankosh.ac.in/bitstream/123456789/20 694/1/Unit-2.pdf.

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