AP Psychology Memory Map

Encoding

First, to make a memory, your brain needs to encode, or make sense, of the information. Encoding is where your brain processes information into the memory system.

Encoding

Storage

Storage

After encoding information, your brain needs to store it. The hippocampus sends explicit memories to the places they need to be stored, then keeps track of where all the memories are. That way, you can revisit them. The basal ganglia and cerebellum, however, helps store implicit memories and skill memory.

Retrieval

Retrieval is accessing a memory after it has been stored.

Retrieval

Short-Term Memory

Short-term memory is memory that holds something for a short amount of time before it is stored or forgotten.

Short Term Memory

Long-Term Memory

Long Term Memory

Long-term memory is relatively permanent memory that includes anything you remember for a long time-skill, knowledge, experiences, etc.

Sensory Memory

Sensory memory is the very brief recording of sensory information.

Sensory Memory

Working Memory

Working memory is based off of short-term memory, where you focus on active processing of incoming information, along with retrieving long-term memory.

Repressed Memory

Repressed memory is when someone forgets something because it was unpleasant or traumatic.

Repressed Memory

Measuring Forgetting

There are two types of sudden losses of memory, or amnesia. The first one is retrograde amnesia. Someone with retrograde amnesia can't remember the past. Then, there's anterograde amnesia, where they can't make new memories.

Why We Forget

There are two main reasons why we forget. The first reason is if the memory has disappeared. The second way is if we just can't retrieve it. If someone were to get a part of their brain removed, they might forget memories from that part of the brain because it's not there anymore. When people get dementia or Alzheimers, they can't access their memories.

Parts of the Brain that Process Memory

Parts of Brain that Process Memory

There are four main parts of the brain that process memory. The thalamus converts sensory memory into short term memory. The hippocampus puts that short term memory into long term memory. The amygddala stores emotional memories. The cerebellum stores procedural and classical conditioned memory, and also processes implicit memories.

Neural Circuitry

Neural Circuitry

A neural circuit is a group of connected neurons that carry out specific functions when activated. When signals are sent across these neural networks, their neural efficiency increases. This is called long term potentiation.

Implicit Memory

Implicit Memory, or non-declarative memory, is the memory of skills and other things without the conscious awareness of knowing them. Procedural memory is a types of implicit memory.

Explicit Memory

Explicit memory, or declarative memory, is the memory of different facts, experiences, or others that someone consciously knows.

Explicit Memory

Episodic Memory

Episodic memory is long term memory of personal experiences.

Episodic Memory

Semantic Memory

Semantic memory is a type of long term memory of things such as facts.

Semantic Memory

Prospective Memory

Prospective memory is remembering to do something at a future point of time.

Prospective Memory

Retrospective Memory

Retrospective memory is the memory of people, words, and events.

Retrospective Memory