long-term memory
Enduring mental storage
Long-term memory is the brain's capacity for storing information over extended periods—days, years, or a lifetime.
It contrasts with short-term or working memory, which holds information only briefly.
Long-term memory encompasses facts, skills, and experiences: Her long-term memory of childhood remained vivid even as recent events slipped away.
The term appears in psychology, neuroscience, and everyday conversation about how we retain and recall information.
Memory formation region
- consolidationCombining into unified whole
- engramStored neural record
- synapticOf nerve connections
- cortexOrgan's external tissue
neuroplasticity · encoding · retrieval · amnesia · neural · synapse · prefrontal · temporal lobe
Recalling past experiences
- nostalgiaLonging for the past
- flashbackInvoluntary past memory
- childhoodLife's earliest phase
- recollectionRecalled mental image
anamnesis · remembrance · memoir · reflection · formative · unforgettable · vivid · faded
Stating rather than asking
- episodicOccurring in distinct segments
- semanticOf meaning in language
- proceduralFollowing set steps
- implicitUnderstood without being stated
explicit · autobiographical · associative · spatial · emotional · verbal · visual · motor
Technique for retention
- rehearsalPre-performance practice session
- chunkingDividing into manageable parts
- spaced repetitionReview method using increasing gaps
- elaborationDevelopment through detail
visualization · association · method of loci · retrieval practice · interleaving · storytelling · acronym · linking
hippocampus
Memory formation region
- consolidationCombining into unified whole
- engramStored neural record
- synapticOf nerve connections
cortex · neuroplasticity · encoding · retrieval · amnesia · neural · synapse · prefrontal · temporal lobe · Alzheimer's
reminiscence
Recalling past experiences
recollection · anamnesis · remembrance · memoir · reflection · formative · unforgettable · vivid · faded · cherished
declarative
Stating rather than asking
- episodicOccurring in distinct segments
- semanticOf meaning in language
- proceduralFollowing set steps
implicit · explicit · autobiographical · associative · spatial · emotional · verbal · visual · motor · sensory
mnemonic
Technique for retention
- rehearsalPre-performance practice session
- chunkingDividing into manageable parts
- spaced repetitionReview method using increasing gaps
elaboration · visualization · association · method of loci · retrieval practice · interleaving · storytelling · acronym · linking · review
- memory testsword recall, name recall, face recognition
- memoryforget, recall, memorize, recollect, retain
- memory termsrecollection, flashback, recall, reminiscence, retention
- memory trainingmemorization, mnemonics, card matching, flashcards, concentration
- Neuropsychologycognition, cognitive test, executive function, attention, brain injury
- animal cognitionlearning, problem solving, reasoning, attention, decision making
long-term memoryforgetting
Failing to retain memories
amnesia · memory loss · oblivion · forgetfulness · memory decay
memory, term, remember, length, lengthy, memories, remembering, remembered, prolong