Capacity, encoding and duration of memory

Capacity, encoding and duration of memory

1. Duration

   • A measure of how long your memory lasts before it is no longer available
   • Stm has very limited duration
   • Ltm has a potentially unlimited duration
   • A memory in LTM could theoretically last for the whole of a persons life

2. Capacity

   • this is how much can be held in memory
   • It is measured in terms of pieces of information such as number of digits.
   • STM has a very limited capacity
   • LTM potentially has a unlimited capacity

3. Encoding

   • the way information is changed so that it can be stored in memory
   • information enters the brain via the senses (e.g eyes and ears)
   • it is stored in various forms such as visual codes, acoustic forms or a semantic form.
   • information in the STM is mainly encoded acoustically
   • Information in the long term memory tends to be encoded semantically