Understanding Echoic Memory in Psychology

Most people are familiar with the concept of "memory" as the ability to recall events that happened previously. But what is echoic memory? Echoic memory is the brief sensory memory of audible sounds. Specifically, echoic memory is sensory memory associated with auditory information received from the environment. The term echoic stems from the word echo, which is in reference to the brief echo, or the reverberation of sound that is transmitted neurologically via this type of sensory memory.

A German American psychologist by the name of Ulric Neisser defined the concept of echoic memory in 1967. Not long after Sperling's research on iconic memory, cognitive psychologist Ulric Neisser popularized the term echoic memory, referencing the auditory equivalent of what Sperling had discovered in the realm of visual sensory memory. Since the work of Sperling and Neisser, echoic memory has been studied extensively around the world by cognitive psychologists. The work of men like Sperling and Neisser has contributed greatly to the development of the knowledge base on sensory and echoic memory that we possess today.

Let’s look at how echoic memory works and how long it lasts, along with real-life examples.

Echoic Memory: A Subcategory of Sensory Memory

Echoic memory is a subcategory of human memory, which can be divided into three major categories:

• Long-term memory retains events, facts, and skills. It can last for hours to decades.
• Short-term memory stores information you recently received. It lasts for a few seconds to 1 minute.
• Sensory memory, also called the sensory register, holds information from the senses.

Sensory memory can be further broken down into three types:

• Iconic memory, or visual sensory memory, handles visual information.
• Haptic memory retains information from your sense of touch.
• Echoic memory holds audio information from your sense of hearing.

To better understand how echoic memory fits into the larger context of memory, let's take a quick look at how human memory systems are structured. According to the Atkinson-Shiffrin theory of memory, memory is comprised of three major components: sensory, short-term, and long-term. Echoic memory is a type of sensory memory. As the name implies, sensory memory involves detecting and maintaining sensory information for potential use.

How Echoic Memory Works

When you hear something, your auditory nerve sends the sound to your brain. It does this by transmitting electrical signals. At this point, the sound is “raw” and unprocessed audio information.

Echoic memory occurs when this information is received and held by the brain. Specifically, it’s stored in the primary auditory cortex (PAC), which is found in both hemispheres of the brain. The PAC of the left ear stores sounds heard with the right ear and vice versa. Sounds heard with both ears are stored in bilateral PACs. Echoic memory is processed in the left hemisphere of the brain.

The information is held in the PAC opposite of the ear that heard the sound. For instance, if you hear a sound in your right ear, the left PAC will hold the memory. But if you hear a sound through both ears, both the left and right PAC will retain the information.

After a few seconds, the echoic memory moves into your short-term memory. This is where your brain processes the information and gives meaning to the sound.

The process of echoic memory is automatic. This means audio information enters your echoic memory even if you don’t purposely try to listen. In fact, your mind is constantly forming echoic memories.

Duration of Echoic Memory

Echoic memory lasts three to four seconds before the information disappears. When you hear a sound, the audio information enters your echoic memory. It lasts for 2 to 4 seconds before your brain can process the sound. While echoic memory is very short, it helps keep information in your brain even after the sound has ended.

If someone wishes to remember the brief burst of information in their echoic memory, they must consciously transfer the auditory information into their short-term memory.

Examples of Echoic Memory in Everyday Life

Examples of Echoic Memory in Daily Life

Here are a few everyday examples:

• Talking to another person: Spoken language is a common example. When someone talks, your echoic memory retains each individual syllable. Your brain recognizes words by connecting each syllable to the previous one. Each word is also stored in echoic memory, which allows your brain to understand a full sentence. Echoic memory allows the brain to retain spoken syllables in order for the brain to process them into intelligible speech. An echoic memory example occurs with conversation.
• Listening to music: Your brain uses echoic memory when you listen to music. It briefly recalls the previous note and connects it to the next one. As a result, your brain recognizes the notes as a song. Echoic memory allows the brain to interpret individual notes into a recognizable song. An echoic memory example is demonstrated with music. Notes played on a piano are stored in echoic memory long enough for the brain to process the notes into a recognizable song or melody.
• Asking someone to repeat themselves: When someone talks to you while you’re busy, you might not fully hear what they say. When someone is distracted and asks a friend, "What did you say?" Echoic memory is the reason that they immediately recognize the words even when they weren't actively listening to the conversation. The person's echoic memory retained the words even though it was not done consciously. If they repeat what they said, it will sound familiar because your echoic memory heard them the first time. Echoic memory allows the recall of words that were spoken when not listening.

This brief duration means your brain can make many echoic memories throughout the day.

Factors Influencing Echoic Memory

All humans have echoic memory. However, various factors can influence how well someone has this type of memory.

Possible factors include:

• Age
• Neurological disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease
• Psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia
• Substance use
• Hearing loss or impairment
• Language disorders

It also depends on the characteristics of a sound, including:

• Duration
• Frequency
• Intensity
• Volume
• Language (with spoken word)

Echoic Memory vs. Iconic Memory

Iconic memory, or visual sensory memory, holds visual information. It’s a type of sensory memory, just like echoic memory. Iconic memory is sensory memory from visual input.

But iconic memory is much shorter. It lasts for less than half a second.

That’s because images and sounds are processed in different ways. Since most visual information doesn’t immediately disappear, you can repeatedly view an image. Plus, when you look at something, you can process all the visual images together.

Echoic memory is longer, which is useful because sound waves are time sensitive. They can’t be reviewed unless the actual sound is repeated. Also, sound is processed by individual bits of information. Each bit gives meaning to the previous bit, which then gives meaning to the sound. As a result, the brain needs more time to store audio information.

Memory Problems and When to Seek Help

We all forget things sometimes. It’s also normal to experience some memory loss as we get older. But if you’re having serious memory issues, it’s important to see a doctor.

Seek medical help if you have memory problems, such as:

• Getting lost in familiar places
• Forgetting how to say common words
• Repeatedly asking questions
• Taking longer to do familiar activities
• Forgetting names of friends and family

Depending on your specific issues, a doctor might refer you to a specialist, like a psychologist or neurologist.

Key Terms

• Auditory Processing: The ability to understand and interpret sound information.
• Short-term Memory: This is where information from sensory memories (like echoic memory) goes if we decide it's important enough to remember.
• Sensory Memory: The initial stage that holds all incoming information for a very brief amount of time (a few seconds or less). Your echoic memory stores audio information (sound). It’s a type of sensory memory along with iconic (visual) and haptic (touch-based).

While echoic memory is very short, it helps keep information in your brain even after the sound has ended. Though we all have echoic memory, factors like age and neurological disorders can affect how well you recall sounds. It’s also normal for memory to decline with age.