Types of Memory and their Functions (2024)

Memory is the ability to store and retrieve information when people need it. The four general types of memories are sensory memory, short-term memory, working memory, and long-term memory. Long-term memory can be further categorized as either implicit (unconscious) or explicit (conscious).

Together, these types of memory make us who we are as individuals, yet we don’t put a lot of thought into how memory works. It’s a phenomenon that involves several processes and can be split into different types, each of which plays an important role in the retention and recall of information.

4 Main Types of Memories

For years, researchers and experts have debated the classification of memories. Many agree that there are four main categories of memory, with all other types of memory tending to fall within these major categories.

Memory is sometimes also classified into stages and processes. People who classify memory into only two distinctive types, implicit and explicit memory, believe that other types of memory—like sensory, short-term, and long-term memory—aren’t different types but more so stages of memory.

Sensory Memory

Sensory memory allows you to remember sensory information after the stimulation has ended. Remembering the sensation of a person’s touch or a sound you heard in passing is sensory memory.

Researchers who classify memory more as stages than types believe that all other memories begin with the formation of sensory memories. Typically, sensory memory only holds onto information for brief periods.

There are three types of sensory memory:

• Iconic memory, which is obtained through sight
• Echoic memory, which is auditory
• Haptic memory, which is through touch

Short-term Memory

As the name implies, short-term memory allows you to recall specific information about something for a brief period. Short-term memory is not as fleeting as sensory memory, but it’s also not as permanent as long-term memory. Short-term memory is also known as primary or active memory.

You can keep information in your short-term memory by rehearsing the information. For example, if you need to recall a string of numbers, you might keep repeating them to yourself until you input them. However, if you are asked to recall those numbers about 10 minutes after inputting them, you’d most likely be unable to.

Working Memory

Working memory is a type of memory that involves the immediate and small amount of information that a person actively uses as they perform cognitive tasks. While some view working memory as a fourth distinct type of memory, it can fall under the classification of short-term memory and, in many cases, is even used interchangeably.

Long-term Memory

We store a vast majority of our memories in our long-term memory. Any memory we can still recall after 30 seconds could be classified as long-term memory. These memories range in significance, from recalling the name of a friendly face at your favorite coffee shop to important bits of information like a close friend’s birthday or your home address.

There is no limit to how much our long-term memory can hold and for how long. We can further split long-term memory into two main categories: explicit and implicit long-term memory.

Explicit Long-term Memory

Explicit long-term memories are memories we consciously and deliberately take time to form and recall. Explicit memory holds information such as your best friend’s birthday or your phone number. It often includes major milestones in your life, such as childhood events, graduation dates, or academic work you learned in school.

In general, explicit memories can be episodic or semantic.

• Episodic memories are formed from particular episodes in your life. Examples of episodic memory include the first time you rode a bike or your first day at school.
• Semantic memories are general facts and bits of information you've absorbed over the years. For instance, when you recall a random fact while filling in a crossword puzzle, you pull it from your semantic memory.

Implicit Long-term Memory

We are not as deliberate with forming implicit memories as we are with explicit ones. Implicit memories form unconsciously and might affect the way a person thinks and behaves.

Implicit memory often comes into play when we are learning motor skills like walking or riding a bike. If you learned how to ride a bike when you were 10 and don't pick it up again until you are 20, implicit memory helps you remember how to ride it.

Why Do We Have Different Types of Memory?

Each different type of memory we have is important, and they all have various functions. Your short-term memory allows you to process and understand the information in an instant. When you read a paragraph in a book and understand it, that’s your short-term memory at work.

Your most treasured and important memories are held in your long-term memory. Your long-term memory facilitates how to walk, talk, ride a bike, and engage in daily activities. It also allows you to recall important dates and facts.

How These Types of Memories Are Formed

Memories are made in three distinct stages. It starts with encoding. Encoding is the way external stimuli and information make their way into your brain. This could occur through any of your five senses.

The next stage is storage, where the information we take in is stored. It is either stored briefly, like with sensory and short-term memory, or more permanently, like with long-term memory.

The final stage is recall. Recall is our ability to retrieve the memory we’ve made from where it is stored. This process also outlines how sensory memory might be turned into short-term memory or short-term memory into long-term memory.

How to Improve Your Memory

It’s commonplace to hear people complain about having poor memory. When we try to recall information and can’t, we feel that our memory has failed us.

The good news is that it is possible to improve your memory and make the process of encoding, storing, and recalling information more seamless. Here are a couple of tips to improve your memory:

• Take care of your body. If you take care of your body by eating a balanced diet, exercising regularly, and getting enough sleep, you improve your brain health, which helps you process and recall memories better.
• Exercise your mind. There are several activities and puzzles you could do to give your mind a great workout.
• Take advantage of calendars and planners. Clear up memory space in your brain by using calendars and planners to remember the little things like shopping lists and meeting times.
• Stay mentally active. Reading, writing, and constantly learning help you remain mentally active, which can improve your memory.