[2026] PTE Academic Listening - Fill in the Blanks (Type In)

Human memory is not a single, unified system but a collection of distinct processes that store and retrieve information. The first stage, known as encoding, involves transforming sensory input into a form that the brain can . Once encoded, the information is held in either short-term or long-term , depending on its perceived importance. Psychologists emphasize that the process of is often reconstructive rather than a literal playback of events. This means that our memories can be to distortion or interference from new information. Factors such as emotional intensity and sleep play a role in the consolidation of new memories. Understanding these is crucial for fields such as eyewitness testimony and educational psychology.