In the study of memory, encoding is the processing of physical sensory input into one's memory. It is considered the first of three steps in memory information processing; the remaining two steps are storage and retrieval. During memory encoding, information may be processed about space, time, and frequency through automatic processing or effortful processing.

Types of encoding

• Visual encoding is the processing of images.
• Acoustic encoding is the processing of sound, particularly the sound of words.
• Semantic encoding is the processing of meaning, particularly the meaning of words.
• Tactile encoding is the processing of how something feels, normally through touch.

Encoding for short-term storage (STS) in the brain relies primarily on acoustic rather than semantic encoding.

Studies

Baddeley (1966) investigated how information is encoded into short-term and long-term memories (STM and LTM, respectively). In STM the information is normally stored acoustically (as sound) as opposed to LTM where the information is normally stored semantically (as meaning).^[1]

References