The process of using memory is as natural as breathing, but many treatments are necessary to enable us to function properly. The path that information follows as it transforms into memory is complex and involves many stages. This article will examine the concepts of short-term and long-term memory. The two concepts generally recognized as existing are short-term memory and long-term memory. As the name suggests, these stores will hold souvenirs for a short period of time or on a longer term basis. Long-term memory is the store of experiences and knowledge that we acquire over the course of our lives. Memory is believed to be unlimited in space and memories stored there are much more durable than those stored in short-term memory. Long-term memory is thought to store memorized information in episodic or semantic memories. Episodic memories would be those in which the individual remembers events. The sights and smells of Christmas, or the memory of events in which he or she played a crucial role for a sports team would both be episodic. Semantic memories, on the other hand, would not contain as much contextual information. A person's memory for multiplication tables or the knowledge needed to drive a car would be semantic memories. By using both types of memory, we can store important moments in our lives vividly, so that the memories that constitute our knowledge do not contain too much extraneous information (Terry, 2009). Short-term memory is in storage capacity and storage duration. Capable of storing a few characters for around fifteen seconds, it allows us to investigate the information we process and decide its greatest value. Things like a phone number for a helpline that we can only...... middle of paper ......author. Over time, the author discovered that when working to encode textual information, there must be audible information in the background to allow for better focus of the textual material. In this test, information that was successfully encoded was easily recalled. By seeing the stages and segments involved in long-term and short-term memory, it becomes easier to see how difficulties can arise when encoding, processing, or storing memories. As relatively easy as memorization may seem, it is ultimately a fairly complex process. Works Cited Sarkar, S. (2007). Memory, phonological loop and language perception. Retrieved from http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/365065/memory_phonological_loop_and_lingual.html?cat=4Terry, W.S. (2009). Learning and Memory: Basic Principles, Processes, and Procedures (4th ed.). Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon