encoding

Meaning: Encoding is the first stage of memory, in which incoming information is converted into a form the brain can store. It can be automatic (little attention, such as where you ate lunch) or effortful (attention and practice, such as studying vocabulary). Semantic encoding, based on meaning, generally yields better recall than acoustic (sound) or visual (appearance) encoding, as in the levels-of-processing idea. Chunking, mnemonics, the method of loci, and elaborative rehearsal improve encoding.

On the MCAT: Passages often describe participants studying word lists under different tasks, such as judging capital letters, rhymes, or whether a word fits in a sentence. Predict the best recall after the meaning task. Questions also ask you to name the stage (encoding, storage, or retrieval) from a scenario, or to classify a technique as maintenance or elaborative rehearsal.

Common confusion: Encoding is not storage or retrieval. If information was never encoded, no retrieval cue can bring it back, so forgetting from poor encoding differs from failing to retrieve a stored item. Repeating a number over and over (maintenance rehearsal) holds it in working memory but usually builds a weaker long-term memory than linking it to meaning (elaborative rehearsal).