Memory Models and Storage Systems

Your memory works like a multi-store system with three main components that handle information differently. The sensory register briefly holds information from your senses for less than a second, whilst short-term memory (STM) can store about 7±2 items for roughly 15-30 seconds without rehearsal. Long-term memory (LTM) has potentially unlimited capacity and duration - studies show people can remember classmates' faces with 90% accuracy even 50 years after graduation.

Working memory is far more sophisticated than simple short-term storage. It includes a central executive that decides where information should go, a phonological loop for processing sounds and speech (your "inner voice"), and a visuo-spatial sketchpad for handling visual information (your "inner eye"). There's also an episodic buffer that temporarily combines different types of information.

Research by Baddeley revealed that STM primarily uses acoustic coding (you remember sounds), whilst LTM relies on semantic coding (you remember meanings). This explains why you might confuse words that sound similar when trying to remember a phone number, but mix up words with similar meanings when recalling a story from last week.

Key Insight: Understanding these different memory systems helps explain why certain study techniques work better than others - you're essentially working with your brain's natural processing preferences.