Final answer:
The brief traces of a sensation left by the firing of neurons in the brain are made up of sensory memory.(option a) It's a temporary storage for sensory information like sights, sounds, and tastes, typically lasting only a couple of seconds before it's discarded or transferred to short-term memory if significant enough.
Step-by-step explanation:
The correct answer to the question is a. Sensory memory. Sensory memory consists of the brief traces of a sensation left by the firing of neurons in the brain. This type of memory storage is incredibly short-lived, lasting only up to a couple of seconds, which is sufficient for initial processing of sensory events such as sights, sounds, and tastes. We experience sensory input continuously, but most of this information is dismissed, unless it is deemed valuable and thereby transferred into our short-term memory.
Sensory memory is the first step in the memory process, according to the Atkinson-Shiffrin model. It captures the raw data provided by our senses, which can then potentially move through into our short-term memory, and possibly be encoded into long-term memory if further attended to and rehearsed. Short-term memory, contrastingly, holds information for a slightly longer duration, approximately 20 to 30 seconds, and has a limited capacity of about 7 bits of information. The significance of sensory memory lies in its ability to briefly hold sensory information that allows us to experience the world as a continuous stream rather than in disjointed fragments. It acts as a buffer for stimuli received through the senses, which are processed at an incredibly fast rate to give us an understanding of the environment around us. Without it, we would struggle to make sense of our experiences or form coherent memories and understandings of everyday events.