'Memory is the diary we all carry about with us.' - Oscar Wilde

But what exactly is memory? Is it just an essential aspect of human biology referring to our ability to retain information and recall it when needed? From the moment we learn a new skill or recall a favorite childhood memory, our brains are busy creating and adjusting countless synaptic connections. These connections can get stronger or weaker based on how often we revisit those memories. Let's unveil the secrets behind this fascinating process.

Stages of Memory Formation

Memory formation can be broadly divided into three stages:

Encoding

This is where it all begins. It refers to the process of learning and perceiving information through our senses. After receiving sensory information, our brains code it. We organize the information with other similar information and connect new concepts to existing concepts to build a network. Information is typically encoded through one of the following methods:

• Visual Encoding: How something looks.
• Acoustic Encoding: How something sounds.
• Semantic Encoding: What something means.
• Tactile Encoding: How something feels.

Factors such as attention, motivation, and emotional significance do influence this information.

Storage

Once encoded, information must be stored for later retrieval. Encoding information based on meaning, or deep processing, allows better retention of our memories. Storage mainly involves maintaining information over time and can be short-term or long-term.

Short-term memory holds information temporarily for immediate use typically lasting for about 20-30 seconds storing between five to nine items of information, with seven items being the average number.

Long-term memory stores information for extended periods, with a virtually unlimited capacity. In practice, repetition, or reiteration, is a common strategy for storing information. Long-term memory is further divided into two main types:

• Explicit (Declarative) Memory: Conscious recall of facts and events that can be recollected by conscious efforts. It consists of:
  • Episodic Memory: Recalls specific events and experiences.
  • Semantic Memory: General knowledge and facts.
• Implicit (Non-declarative) Memory: Unconscious memory of skills and procedures.

Retrieval

It is the process of accessing stored information when needed. Retrieval depends on how well the information is encoded and stored. According to their different natures, information stored in short-term memory and long-term memory are retrieved differently. While short-term memory is retrieved in the order in which it is stored, i.e., in a sequential order, long-term memory is retrieved through associations.

Retrieval brings memories to life and integrates them into conscious experience. The following are three ways you can jog your long-term memory:

• Recall: Accessing information, which is what we most commonly think of as memory retrieval.
• Recognition: Identifying previously learned information when encountering it again, involving a process of comparison.
• Relearning: Learning information that was previously learned, hence solidifying the memory.

The Phenomenon of Forgetting

One vital aspect of memory is the phenomenon of forgetting, which is the inability to retrieve stored information. Research into forgetting has led to the development of two prominent theories that explain why memories fade over time:

• Decay Theory: This theory suggests that memories gradually weaken and disappear if they are not revisited, much like how old books gather dust if left untouched.
• Interference Theory: This theory proposes that forgetting occurs because new information can overwrite old memories.

Conclusion

In summary, memory formation has a fundamental biological function that uniquely combines psychological and neurochemical elements. Understanding memory's mechanisms reveals not only how we recall the past but also how we use those memories to guide our future. Scientists who crack the code of memory not only unlock how we remember things but also reveal how our past shapes our future actions.