what is memory

Memory refers to the psychological processes of acquiring, storing, retaining, and later retrieving information. It is the faculty of the mind by which data or information is encoded, stored, and retrieved when needed. Memory is the process of taking in information from the world around us, processing it, storing it, and later recalling that information, sometimes many years later. Human memory is often likened to that of a computer memory system or a filing cabinet, but in fact, memory is far from perfect. Most people do not remember every single thing that has happened to them, and memories are often changed and can become distorted. Memory is not just one entity; there are different types of memory such as learning the meaning of single words, facts about the world, skills like learning to ride a bicycle or how to play a musical instrument, and a complex type of memory that allows us to recall and even re-live' personal events or episodes from our past. Memory is an integral part of human cognition, since it allows individuals to recall and draw upon past events to frame their understanding of and behavior within the present. Memory also gives individuals a framework through which to make sense of the present and future. Memory plays a crucial role in teaching and learning. In the context of computers, memory is the electronic holding place for the instructions and data a computer needs to reach quickly. It is where information is stored for immediate use. Memory is most often referred to as the primary storage on a computer, such as RAM. The concept of memory and storage can be easily conflated as the same concept; however, there are some distinct and important differences. Memory refers to the location of short-term data, while storage refers to the location of data stored on a long-term basis.