Types of Memory
Memory isn’t one thing. We have different types of memories that do different things. You may have heard of short-term and long-term memory. Most people think that the difference between short-term memory and long-term memory relates to when the memory was created. However, this is a common misunderstanding. Psychologists differentiate between short term memory by where it is stored.
https://qbi.uq.edu.au/brain-basics/memory/types-memory
Short-Term memory
Short-term memory is information that is held in mind (i.e. you are currently using the information). Remember the days before smart phones? When you had to remember phone numbers? Better yet, remember those days when you had to read a number and then manually dial it into a phone? Short-term memory is what was used to remember the number whilst you were dialling it. For those of us who remember the phones without buttons, these was sometimes no easy task. Especially when dialling internationally!
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Long-Term Memory
Long-term memory is memory that is stored but isn’t being accessed or can’t be accessed. These can be characterised as explicit or implicit.
Explicit Memory
Think about all that knowledge you have been asked to recall in those exams and job interviews. There are memories that you can talk about; events and facts that can be recalled and described. These are called explicit or declarative memories (because they can be declared). These explicit memories can be further divided into semantic and episodic memory.
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Semantic Memory
Semantic memory store facts or general knowledge. Think of these are the things that help you in those exams or at quiz night or while yelling at the TV during quiz shows. They include knowing things like the capital of France or the number of stars on the US Flag or the date of your wedding anniversary (an important memory. Anyone who has forgotten this will attest to that!)
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Implicit Memory
Implicit memory includes memories of things that have happened to you. These are the memories that we mentioned at the beginning that make us who we are. These are memories of your first kiss, your wedding day and the day your child was born. These are the things that most people think of when they think of ‘What is a memory?’.
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Implicit Memory
Memories can also contain things that can’t be described. These are about all the things you can do. One of the most famous sayings “it’s like riding a bike” describes this type of memory. These are called implicit memories or non-declarative memories. We can’t tell people these memories but we can do them. These are the memories that help us do things. They help us ride a bike, to drive a car and even to walk.
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Conclusion
So, memory isn’t just one thing. We have short-term memory for things we are using right now. We also have several different type of long-term memory. Semantic memory deals with facts and general knowledge such as ‘What is the capital of France?’. Episodic memory stores memories of things that have happened to you such as the memory of your first kiss or your wedding day. Implicit memory stores things you cannot put into words such as how to ride a bike or drive car.