Understanding Memory Example From Trevor Powell The Brain Injury Workbook

Memory involves a number of different skills and stages, and can be likened to a sophisticated music system in which cassettes and CDs are recorded and stored, and then retrieved from storage and replayed when required. The first stage of memory is recording, which involves attending to and encoding the information perceived (selecting the cassettes or CDs and the tracks or sounds to record). The second stage involves storage of that information (placing the recorded cassette or CD somewhere safe). The third stage involves retrieving the information (identifying the correct cassette or CD, then putting it in the machine and playing it).
Memory is not a 'thing', but a process involving a number of stages.
Attention. Attention is the mechanism by which information enters the brain. If you do not attend to information, it will not be encoded or stored.
Encoding. Encoding is the registration of information at the time of learning. The strength of this registration or coding depends on the depth of processing, or on the amount of meaning associated with the information. Emotional events, or things you are interested in, are usually more meaningful, and are therefore processed at a deeper level - they become attached to existing memory structures.
Storage. Once the information is encoded, it is stored in the long-term memory.
Consolidation. If the information is not rehearsed or practised, then it will probably be lost. The process of practising is called consolidation. For instance, if someone tells you their phone number, you need to use it several times before you begin to remember it.
Retrieval. Retrieval involves accessing the information stored in the long-term memory. Retrieval can be improved when given cues, eg, the nurse's name begins with 'B', or when you are trying to recall something in the same environment in which it was originally learned.