Final answer:
The Atkinson-Shiffrin model describes how memory is stored through three stages: Sensory Memory, Short-Term Memory, and Long-Term Memory. Information is encoded, stored, and retrieved in this process, and long-term memory has an almost unlimited capacity and includes implicit and explicit memories.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Atkinson-Shiffrin model of memory explains the process by which memories are stored in the human brain. This model, compared to a computer's way of processing information, involves three key stages:
- Sensory Memory: This is where memory begins, with environmental stimuli being briefly stored for less than a second to a couple of seconds.
- Short-Term Memory: When we pay attention to sensory memory, it moves into short-term memory, where it is temporarily held and can be actively processed.
- Long-Term Memory: With rehearsal and encoding, information can then be transferred into long-term memory, where it can be stored permanently. Long-term memory is categorized into implicit and explicit memories and has a virtually unlimited storage capacity.
The process of memory involves encoding information entering our system, storing that information, and then eventually retrieving it for use. However, alternative models like that of Baddeley and Hitch suggest a more interactive feedback loop between short-term and long-term memory, rather than a linear progression.