se stages. We would assume we have forgotten the information. My second chapter will discuss why and how we forget. I will review two common diseases: Alzheimer's and amnesia. Then I will talk about the five principles of remembering.
             Weiten explains sensory memory preserves information in its original sensory form for a brief time (1998, p. 266). This "brief time" lasts for a fraction of a second. There is at least two components to sensory memory or iconic memory. First, the retina in the eye is influenced by the brightness of a stimulus. The second one involves shape recognition. It occurs in the brain after the information from the two eyes have been integrated.
             Hearing also contributes to iconic memory. An example would be locating an object in a room. Although we do not think of this as memory, it involves storing and retrieving information. We often remember things when they are spoken rather then written. This is called echoic memory since it is like an echo in our mind after the word has spoken. Sensory memory is not important to the overall memory system because it is also deals with perception.
             Short term memory is a name given to the system or, perhaps more appropriately, set of systems which allow this temporary storage of information which is essential for a brief period of time (Baddeley, 1982, p. 14). Short term memory, also called working memory, relies on attention and rehearsal. The retrieval process is automatic. It is an active and ongoing process that is easily disrupted. A person can only pay attention to one thing at a time and is easily distracted. Rehearsal is repeating information continually orally or mentally. Rehearsal helps keep information in short term. If the information is rehearsed often it can transfer into long term memory. George Miller discovered short term memory has a limited capacity that is an average of seven items. New information quickly replaces the old infor...