Memory and retention in learning

High school (ages 12+)
Thinking & Learning

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/memory-and-retention-in-learning

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the memory classifications?Sensory memory, short-term memory, and long-term memory
2. What is the core memory processes?Encoding, storage, and retrieval of information
3. What are the three main steps of memory?Encoding turns what we see or hear into a brain code. Storage keeps that code safe over time. Retrieval brings the stored code back when we need it.
4. Why is deep thinking better for remembering?Thinking about information in a deeper way, like explaining it or linking it to what we already know, makes it easier for the brain to lock it in.

Encoding Specificity: Memory retrieval is enhanced when cues present at retrieval match those present during encoding.
Consolidation: The process by which memories become stable in the brain over time.
Interference Theory: Forgetting occurs because other memories compete with or obstruct the retrieval of the target memory.
Retrieval Failure: The inability to access information that is stored in memory.