Information Processing Theory divides memory into three stores--two temporal stores
(sensory and short term) and one long term.
- Sensory memory: stores information in its sensory form (be it audio, visual, etc) for a fraction of a second.
- Short term memory: can store a limited amount of unrehearsed memory for 20 seconds.
- Long term memory: can store an unlimited amount of information over a long period of time
The process goes as followed:
- input - > sensory memory
- with attention, information from the sensory memory is transfered into short term memory (which last for 20 seconds)
- if you want to maintain information in short term memory you would rehearse (the process of repeating the information verbally/mentally?) the information
- information is then stored into the long term memory
