Long-term memory (LTM) is the continuous storage of information, with a very large storage capacity. It encompasses all the things you can remember that happened more than just a few minutes ago to all of the things that you can remember that happened days, weeks, and years ago.

Here are some key aspects of long-term memory:

• Storage Capacity: Unlike short-term memory, the storage capacity of long-term memory has no known limits. It's considered to have an essentially unlimited capacity.
• Duration: Information in long-term memory is stored permanently. While short-term memory lasts for seconds to minutes, long-term memory stores information over very long periods of time.
• Accessibility: Some information in LTM is easy to recall, while other memories are more difficult to access. Some long-term memories can only be recalled through prompts.
• Relationship to Short-Term Memory (STM): Information in short-term memory can be transferred to long-term memory for more permanent storage. In the multi-store model, information passes through sensory memory, then short-term memory, and finally into long-term memory. The unitary-store model, however, proposes that short-term memory is just the temporarily activated part of long-term memory.

Types of Information Stored in LTM

• LTM includes all kinds of memories, such as facts, procedures, and personal experiences.
• LTM stores information that is largely outside of our awareness but can be called into working memory to be used when needed.

Models of Memory and Long-Term Memory

• Atkinson-Shiffrin Model: In this multi-store model, LTM is one of three distinct stages of memory, along with sensory memory and short-term memory. This model proposes that information moves through these stages in a linear sequence.
• Unitary-Store Model: This model contrasts with the multi-store model by proposing that LTM is the only memory store, and short-term memory is just a temporarily activated part of long-term memory.

Retrieval of Information from Long-Term Memory

• Retrieval is the process of accessing stored information. There are three ways to retrieve information from long-term memory:
  • Recall: Accessing information without cues, like writing an essay.
  • Recognition: Identifying previously learned information, like choosing the correct answer on a multiple-choice test.
  • Relearning: Learning information that was previously learned.

Forgetting and Long-Term Memory

• Not all long-term memories are strong, and some memories require prompts to be recalled.
• Forgetting can happen due to encoding failures, where information was not properly learned initially, or due to the decay of memories over time.

In summary, long-term memory is a vast storage system for retaining information over extended periods. It interacts with other memory systems, such as sensory and short-term memory, and involves different processes for encoding, storage, and retrieval.