memoria

Memoria is a term used in several languages to denote both the faculty of recollection and the capacity to store data. In Latin, memoria means memory or remembrance; in Spanish and Portuguese, memoria can refer to recollection as well as computer memory, depending on context.

Human memory comprises the processes by which information is encoded, stored, and retrieved. It includes sensory memory, which briefly holds sensory traces; short-term or working memory with limited capacity; and long-term memory for information retained longer. Long-term memory divides into explicit (episodic and semantic) and implicit (procedural, priming, conditioning) forms. Consolidation, aided by sleep, stabilizes memories. Brain regions such as the hippocampus and medial temporal lobes support encoding and consolidation, while the prefrontal cortex and parietal areas support retrieval and working memory. Memory is influenced by attention, repetition, context, and emotion, and can decline with age or disease. Amnesia and dementia illustrate memory impairment, whereas mnemonic techniques aim to improve recall.

In computing, memory refers to devices for storing data. Primary memory includes RAM and ROM; cache memory accelerates access near the processor. Secondary memory covers nonvolatile storage such as hard drives and solid-state drives. Memory is organized hierarchically and measured in bytes (KB, MB, GB, TB). Technologies include DRAM and SRAM for volatile main memory, and flash memory for nonvolatile storage. Memory management techniques, including paging and virtualization, allocate resources and optimize performance.