Getting to know how sensory memory works

I make it a routine to listen to Al-Mulk and Yaasin MP3 at least once a day (usually I only managed to catch up once every two or three days). And I also try to maintain the habit of reading Al-Mulk every day before sleep and read Yaasin on Thursday night (if I don't do my Kahfi routine).

This has something related to the stages of memory that we all learned in Psychology.

sensory memory --> short term memory --> long term memory

Storing Al-Mulk and Yaasin in the long term memory storage is my aim. It is not easy however it is not impossible. All I need is a first baby step.

Here is my baby step; getting to know how sensory memory works.

Sensory memory

Sensory memory works when information enters the nervous system (eyes, ears, ect.).

In my case, this phenomena (I could not think of other words) occurs when the verses of Yaasin and Al-Mulk enter both my eyes and ears systems. In other words, it happens at the moment when my ears listen to the verses (when I listen to the quranic MP3) and my eyes see the words of the verses (seeing the words in the mashaf of Quran).

Sensory memory has two types: iconic (visual) sensory memory and echoic (hearing) sensory memory.

Iconic sensory memory

It is the point when I see every word of Yaasin and Al-Mulk from the Quran. The capacity of iconic memory is any verses that my eyes could see at one time. Iconic memory could not retain for a long time in the brain as it will be pushed out from the storage by the new information (new verses seen in the Quran).

Echoic sensory memory

It is the brief memory of the verses that I have heard. My brain might not immediately process the information received. Instead, the brain might need to take several seconds to realize that I have read the verses, the information (the verses) may have been important and my brain might try to remember the verses heard. The capacity of this memory is limited to the verses that can be heard at a moment. It is smaller than the capacity of iconic memory but could last longer about 2 to 4 seconds.

Well explained, Maryam! No wonder among the effective techniques thought by the huffaz to memorize Quran is by listening to the surah and also read them from the Quran itself.

Maryam.