Sensory memory is a very short-term memory store for information being processed by the sense organs, with a limited duration to store information, typically less than a second
. It is the first store of the multi-store model of memory and is crucial for retaining sensory impressions following the cessation of the original stimulus
. Sensory memory can be divided into subsystems called the sensory registers, which include:
- Iconic memory : Deals with visual sensing
- Echoic memory : Deals with auditory sensing
- Haptic memory : Deals with tactile sensing
- Olfactory memory : Associated with smell, and helps identify tastes
- Gustatory memory : Associated with taste and has a close relationship with olfactory memory
Sensory memories are stored for a few seconds at most and are reprocessed and associated with a memory that may be stored in your short-term memory
. Examples of sensory memory include:
- Iconic memory: Visual images, such as the brief image in your memory that remains after turning off the lights or seeing a familiar object
- Haptic memory: Allows you to identify objects you're touching, like feeling the texture of a book or the shape of a piece of furniture
- Olfactory memory: Associated with smell, it helps you identify tastes because molecules from the food you chew go into your nose and are processed in the same brain areas that form long-term memories
- Gustatory memory: Associated with taste, it helps you identify foods through the five basic flavors your tongue identifies (salty, sweet, bitter, umami, and sour)
