Table of Contents<\/h2>- The Two Kinds of Memory<\/a>
- How Your Brain Encodes Memories<\/a><\/li>
- Automatic Versus Effortful Processing<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Short-Term (Working) Memory<\/a>
- Differences in Working Memory<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Long-Term Memory<\/a>
- What Part of the Brain Controls Long-Term Memory?<\/a><\/li>
- \u201cKnowledge Collapse\u201d Occurs Before Creating Long-Term Memories<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Dive Deeper Into Your Memories<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n\n
The Two Kinds of Memory<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nWhile all memories form using the same fundamental process (neurons making connections with one another), Oakley, Rogowsky, and Sejnowski explain in Uncommon Sense Teaching<\/a> <\/em>that people have two distinct types of memory, each with different functions.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\nHow Your Brain Encodes Memories<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nBefore we jump into the two forms of memory, it\u2019s important to first understand how the brain encodes memories in the first place. In Brain Rules<\/a><\/em>, Dr. John Medina explains that, to form memories and therefore learn from experience, the brain goes through a complex process. Medina writes that the most important part of how memories work is encoding, which is how our brain processes and stores sensory information. Encoding happens in the first few seconds of having an experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhen we take in new information, each of our senses processes it at the same time. For example, imagine purchasing a danish from a new bakery in your neighborhood. You\u2019d see the display case of baked goods, you\u2019ll hear the sounds of the customers and employees, you\u2019ll feel the pastry you\u2019ve been handed, and you\u2019ll smell and taste the danish you\u2019ve purchased. Each of these senses is processed by different areas of the brain, so all of this information is converted into electrical signals by neurons in their respective areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After memory encoding, the brain then <\/strong>stores the different pieces of information in the areas that they\u2019ve been processed in. Instead of the memory of the bakery entering one particular spot in your brain, then, the various sensory information you\u2019ve processed in the bakery will be dispersed all over the brain. <\/p>\n\n\n\nAutomatic Versus Effortful Processing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nNot all encoding is the same. There are two major types of encoding, automatic<\/em> and effortful<\/em> processing, which determine how easy or difficult it will be in terms of how the memories work with retrieving.<\/p>\n\n\n\nAutomatic processing is encoding that requires very little conscious effort, usually involving a visual stimulus. <\/strong>For example, when you see a memorable movie, your brain will encode it automatically.<\/p>\n\n\n\nEffortful processing, on the other hand, requires conscious attention to form a memory. <\/strong>For example, when you study for a test, your brain uses effortful encoding. Effortful encoding can be challenging and requires numerous repetitions before you can easily remember what you learned.<\/p>\n\n\n\nShort-Term (Working) Memory<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nThe first kind of memory is working memory<\/em>, also called short-term memory<\/em>. As the name suggests, this system is for knowledge you\u2019re currently working with\u2014either learning it or applying it to a problem. The authors say that working memory has an extremely limited capacity and can only hold about four pieces of information at a time.<\/strong> As new thoughts grab your attention and enter your working memory, they push out any pieces of information you\u2019re not actively thinking about. If that information hasn\u2019t yet been added to your long-term memory, you\u2019ll forget it. <\/p>\n\n\n\nThink of your working memory like the CPU of your computer. It stores whatever your computer is working on at the moment, and only for as long as you need it. For example, if there\u2019s a pigeon on the sidewalk, you only need to remember its existence long enough to walk around it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Your working memory\u2019s effectiveness depends in part on how well you can focus on a particular task.<\/strong> To illustrate this point, in ADHD 2.0<\/em><\/a>, psychiatrists Hallowell and Ratey explain that people with ADHD are very forgetful due to difficulties with managing their working memory. Their minds work so quickly and get distracted so easily that their working memory is constantly cycling through new pieces of information rather than holding onto what\u2019s relevant at the moment. In other words, people who struggle with working memory may not have a deficit in capacity<\/em>, but a deficit in concentration<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nDifferences in Working Memory<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAlthough a person\u2019s working memory can hold about <\/em>four pieces of information, Oakley, Rogowsky, and Sejnowski clarify that this is only an average\u2014some people can hold six or more items in their working memory simultaneously, while others struggle to manage even three.<\/strong> Note that this is purely due to neurological differences and has nothing to do with intelligence or effort.<\/p>\n\n\n\nIf you have a relatively large working memory capacity, then you can process a lot of information very quickly\u2014you\u2019re probably the first one to come up with an answer to a question or problem. However, the authors warn that such mental efficiency can also work against you.<\/strong> Things seem to come very easily to you, and you\u2019re likely to think that you understand topics before you\u2019ve put in sufficient study. As a result, you might fail to build up strong long-term memories and find yourself unable to retrieve that knowledge later.<\/p>\n\n\n\nOn the other hand, if you have a smaller working memory capacity, you may appear to be a slow learner: You can\u2019t immediately use what you\u2019re learning, and you might take longer than your peers to solve problems. However, the authors say that people with smaller working memory capacities tend to develop robust and flexible long-term memories.<\/strong> After all, if a topic doesn\u2019t immediately seem clear to you, then you\u2019ll likely feel the need to keep reviewing and practicing it. So, while you might not seem to think as quickly as most people, your memory is probably much more reliable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
- How Your Brain Encodes Memories<\/a><\/li>
- Automatic Versus Effortful Processing<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Short-Term (Working) Memory<\/a>
- Differences in Working Memory<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Long-Term Memory<\/a>
- What Part of the Brain Controls Long-Term Memory?<\/a><\/li>
- \u201cKnowledge Collapse\u201d Occurs Before Creating Long-Term Memories<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Dive Deeper Into Your Memories<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n\n
The Two Kinds of Memory<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
While all memories form using the same fundamental process (neurons making connections with one another), Oakley, Rogowsky, and Sejnowski explain in Uncommon Sense Teaching<\/a> <\/em>that people have two distinct types of memory, each with different functions.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How Your Brain Encodes Memories<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Before we jump into the two forms of memory, it\u2019s important to first understand how the brain encodes memories in the first place. In Brain Rules<\/a><\/em>, Dr. John Medina explains that, to form memories and therefore learn from experience, the brain goes through a complex process. Medina writes that the most important part of how memories work is encoding, which is how our brain processes and stores sensory information. Encoding happens in the first few seconds of having an experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When we take in new information, each of our senses processes it at the same time. For example, imagine purchasing a danish from a new bakery in your neighborhood. You\u2019d see the display case of baked goods, you\u2019ll hear the sounds of the customers and employees, you\u2019ll feel the pastry you\u2019ve been handed, and you\u2019ll smell and taste the danish you\u2019ve purchased. Each of these senses is processed by different areas of the brain, so all of this information is converted into electrical signals by neurons in their respective areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After memory encoding, the brain then <\/strong>stores the different pieces of information in the areas that they\u2019ve been processed in. Instead of the memory of the bakery entering one particular spot in your brain, then, the various sensory information you\u2019ve processed in the bakery will be dispersed all over the brain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Automatic Versus Effortful Processing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Not all encoding is the same. There are two major types of encoding, automatic<\/em> and effortful<\/em> processing, which determine how easy or difficult it will be in terms of how the memories work with retrieving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Automatic processing is encoding that requires very little conscious effort, usually involving a visual stimulus. <\/strong>For example, when you see a memorable movie, your brain will encode it automatically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Effortful processing, on the other hand, requires conscious attention to form a memory. <\/strong>For example, when you study for a test, your brain uses effortful encoding. Effortful encoding can be challenging and requires numerous repetitions before you can easily remember what you learned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Short-Term (Working) Memory<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The first kind of memory is working memory<\/em>, also called short-term memory<\/em>. As the name suggests, this system is for knowledge you\u2019re currently working with\u2014either learning it or applying it to a problem. The authors say that working memory has an extremely limited capacity and can only hold about four pieces of information at a time.<\/strong> As new thoughts grab your attention and enter your working memory, they push out any pieces of information you\u2019re not actively thinking about. If that information hasn\u2019t yet been added to your long-term memory, you\u2019ll forget it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Think of your working memory like the CPU of your computer. It stores whatever your computer is working on at the moment, and only for as long as you need it. For example, if there\u2019s a pigeon on the sidewalk, you only need to remember its existence long enough to walk around it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Your working memory\u2019s effectiveness depends in part on how well you can focus on a particular task.<\/strong> To illustrate this point, in ADHD 2.0<\/em><\/a>, psychiatrists Hallowell and Ratey explain that people with ADHD are very forgetful due to difficulties with managing their working memory. Their minds work so quickly and get distracted so easily that their working memory is constantly cycling through new pieces of information rather than holding onto what\u2019s relevant at the moment. In other words, people who struggle with working memory may not have a deficit in capacity<\/em>, but a deficit in concentration<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Differences in Working Memory<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Although a person\u2019s working memory can hold about <\/em>four pieces of information, Oakley, Rogowsky, and Sejnowski clarify that this is only an average\u2014some people can hold six or more items in their working memory simultaneously, while others struggle to manage even three.<\/strong> Note that this is purely due to neurological differences and has nothing to do with intelligence or effort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you have a relatively large working memory capacity, then you can process a lot of information very quickly\u2014you\u2019re probably the first one to come up with an answer to a question or problem. However, the authors warn that such mental efficiency can also work against you.<\/strong> Things seem to come very easily to you, and you\u2019re likely to think that you understand topics before you\u2019ve put in sufficient study. As a result, you might fail to build up strong long-term memories and find yourself unable to retrieve that knowledge later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the other hand, if you have a smaller working memory capacity, you may appear to be a slow learner: You can\u2019t immediately use what you\u2019re learning, and you might take longer than your peers to solve problems. However, the authors say that people with smaller working memory capacities tend to develop robust and flexible long-term memories.<\/strong> After all, if a topic doesn\u2019t immediately seem clear to you, then you\u2019ll likely feel the need to keep reviewing and practicing it. So, while you might not seem to think as quickly as most people, your memory is probably much more reliable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \u201cKnowledge Collapse\u201d Occurs Before Creating Long-Term Memories<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Long-Term Memory<\/a>
- Automatic Versus Effortful Processing<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/image.png\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n