ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces basic ideas, theories, and vocabulary related to memory in order to give readers a basic understanding of memory so they can better understand how age affects memory. The sensory memory phenomenon can cause some interesting perceptions. The capacity of people's short-term memory increases throughout childhood, peaks in their 20s, and then slowly decreases. People often think of memory as a unitary idea, but there are actually many different types of memory. The three most basic types of memory are procedural memories, semantic memories, and episodic memories. The words at the end of the list were only remembered well with the no-delay condition because the M-word task pushed the last few words from the list out of short-term or working memory. Episodic memories are made with one exposure to the event, whereas semantic memories often require a number of rehearsal trials.
