Memory is like having different kinds of storage in your brain. Some are for things you need right now, like remembering a phone number while you're dialing it, that’s short-term memory. Others help you remember facts and events from the past, that's long-term memory. You might also have a kind of memory that lets you ride a bike without thinking about it, that's procedural memory.
Examples
- A child can remember the steps to a dance for a few minutes but forgets them when they move on to another activity, that’s short-term memory.
- You know how to tie your shoelaces even if you haven’t done it in years, that's procedural memory at work.
- An adult might remember a childhood event with vivid detail, like the smell of cake on their birthday, that's episodic memory.
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See also
- Why Do Some People Have Extraordinary Memory?
- Why do some memories last a lifetime while others quickly fade?
- What is memory?
- Why Do We Remember Things from Long Ago But Forget What We Had for Breakfast?
- Why Do We Dream in Color — Or Do We?