What is memory, actually?
Memory, in short, is a process. It begins with an ‘encoding phase’ when experiences are represented in webs of interconnected neurons.
Over the short term – imagine briefly memorising a phone number – this takes place at the front of the brain. If you process information deeply enough, it will work its way through into longer-term storage, which involves the hippocampus in the brain’s medial temporal lobe (near the ears).
Psychologists distinguish between memory for knowledge, which they call ‘semantic memory’, and memory documenting past experiences, known as ‘autobiographical memory’. These two kinds depend on somewhat different neural systems, meaning it’s possible for illness or injury to interfere with one, while leaving the other relatively intact. Another distinction is between ‘explicit memory’ – memories you can recall at will – and ‘implicit memory’, which is when the information is in your brain, but you can’t consciously access it.
Why don’t we remember everything?
This story is from the July/August 2021 edition of Very Interesting.
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This story is from the July/August 2021 edition of Very Interesting.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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