Memories, memories Memory is not a singular brain function. Rather, the brain processes, stores, and retrieves information in many distinct ways and in many different places. Memories have been classified according to the type of information or the time of retention. Type of information. Memories categorized by type of information can be either declarative, procedural, or emotional.
Declarative memory is the ability to remember names, faces, telephone numbers, or important events.
It is material available to the conscious mind, encoded in the cerebral cortex, and expressed by language. Procedural memory refers to motor activity and skills acquired and retrieved on a subconscious level. We utilize procedural memory during such activities as piano playing, knot tying, and bike riding, when we do not consciously direct our detailed movements. In fact, thinking about the movements may inhibit our ability to perform them. Procedural memories are stored in parts of the brain known as the basal ganglia, the cerebellum, and the premotor cortex.