long-term memory

psychology

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July 16, 2026

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Long-term memory (LTM) refers to the brain's capacity to store and recall information over extended periods, ranging from days to years. This contrasts with short-term memory, which handles immediate concerns. The hippocampus and other temporal lobe structures, along with the cortex, are crucial for processing, storing, and retrieving LTM.123

LTM can be categorized as declarative (facts and events) or nondeclarative (skills and emotions). Further distinctions include episodic (tied to specific times and places) and semantic (lacking such associations, like general knowledge) memories. Acquiring, storing, and retrieving information are the three phases of LTM. Effective long-term storage is best achieved through spaced, regular study rather than cramming.24

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memory
Long-term memory
Memories that endure outside of immediate consciousness are known as long-term memories. They may be about something that happened many years ago, such as who attended one’s fifth birthday party, or they may concern relatively recent experiences, such as the courses that were…
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Memories that endure outside of immediate consciousness are known as long-term memories. They may be about something that happened many years ago, such as who attended one’s fifth birthday party, or they may concern relatively recent experiences, such as the courses that were…
Read More

learning theory
Transient and enduring memory
…of data from short-term to long-term memory. Once committed to long-term memory, the results of learning tend to endure but can be abruptly abolished when specific parts of the brain are injured or removed; they also are vulnerable to interference from other learning. Nevertheless, conditioned responses may undergo little or…
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…of data from short-term to long-term memory. Once committed to long-term memory, the results of learning tend to endure but can be abruptly abolished when specific parts of the brain are injured or removed; they also are vulnerable to interference from other learning. Nevertheless, conditioned responses may undergo little or…
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Eric Kandel
…result in a form of long-term memory that can remain for weeks.
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…result in a form of long-term memory that can remain for weeks.
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