Explain the concept in 25 to 30 words of
"sensory register"
Answers
Sensory register, also called sensory memory, refers to the first and most immediate form of memory you have. The sensory register is your ultra-short-term memory that takes in sensory information through your five senses (sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch) and holds it for no more than a few seconds. Our senses are engaged when we are exposed to a stimulus, or something that causes a sensory response, such as a strong odor. It is the sensory register that enables you to remember sensory stimuli after your exposure to the stimuli has ended.
To make this clearer, imagine taking a 5-minute walk through a downtown area. During that short stroll, you might be exposed to buildings of varying sizes, cars of many shapes and colors, foliage growing or people talking to each other on their phones. These are just a quick sample of all the potential sensory stimuli you might encounter during your walk. But you will tend to ignore most of it because these things don't strike you as important and as a result, you will not remember specific details about them.
You can't pay attention to all of the stimuli you are exposed to. The sensory information that you do pay attention to becomes part of your sensory register. For example, that beautiful flower arrangement outside the quaint café or the loud, irritating voice of the mobile phone user walking behind you or the rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee coming from the corner store. These and other sensory experiences that you attend to enter your sensory register and allow you to remember them after you leave the scene.
Types of Sensory Memory
There are two main parts of the sensory register: visual memory, also called iconic memory, and auditory memory, also called echoic memory. These senses take in most of the stimuli you are exposed to. Visual memory holds images we see for less than a second before it fades. Auditory memory holds sound for a little longer, a few seconds. You also have sensory registers for touch (tactile memory), smell (olfactory memory) and taste (gustatory memory).