Attention is very important in how we remember things. This idea comes from a model created by Atkinson and Shiffrin in 1968. The model has three main parts: sensory memory, short-term memory (STM), and long-term memory (LTM). Let’s look at how attention works in this model.
Sensory memory is the first place we get information. It keeps a quick snapshot of what we see and hear around us. But this information fades fast unless we pay attention to it. Think about being in a busy café. You can hear a lot of noise, but the smell of your coffee grabs your attention. Because of that, you can focus on the smell and remember it better.
When something catches our attention, it goes into short-term memory. In STM, we can hold information for about 15 to 30 seconds. But STM can only hold a small amount of information—about 7 things, give or take 2. To help remember things better, we often group information together. This is called chunking. For example, instead of remembering the numbers 1, 9, 4, 2 separately, you can group them as 1942.
When we pay close attention, information can move from short-term memory to long-term memory. This is where we can keep it for a long time, maybe even forever. To help this process, we use techniques like practicing or breaking down information. For example, if you go to a lecture and take notes, you are more likely to remember what you learned later on.
In short, attention is key to helping us decide what information is important. It helps us remember things better and move them into our long-term memory.
Attention is very important in how we remember things. This idea comes from a model created by Atkinson and Shiffrin in 1968. The model has three main parts: sensory memory, short-term memory (STM), and long-term memory (LTM). Let’s look at how attention works in this model.
Sensory memory is the first place we get information. It keeps a quick snapshot of what we see and hear around us. But this information fades fast unless we pay attention to it. Think about being in a busy café. You can hear a lot of noise, but the smell of your coffee grabs your attention. Because of that, you can focus on the smell and remember it better.
When something catches our attention, it goes into short-term memory. In STM, we can hold information for about 15 to 30 seconds. But STM can only hold a small amount of information—about 7 things, give or take 2. To help remember things better, we often group information together. This is called chunking. For example, instead of remembering the numbers 1, 9, 4, 2 separately, you can group them as 1942.
When we pay close attention, information can move from short-term memory to long-term memory. This is where we can keep it for a long time, maybe even forever. To help this process, we use techniques like practicing or breaking down information. For example, if you go to a lecture and take notes, you are more likely to remember what you learned later on.
In short, attention is key to helping us decide what information is important. It helps us remember things better and move them into our long-term memory.