What actually is memory?

Memory, in short, is a process. It begins with an ‘encoding phase’ when experiences are represented in webs of interconnected neurons.

Over the short term – imagine briefly memorising a phone number – this takes place at the front of the brain. If you process information deeply enough it will work its way through into longer-term storage, which involves the hippocampus in the brain’s medial temporal lobe (near the ears).

Read full article: Science Focus; A complete beginner’s guide to human memory, By: Christian Jarrett