Plain English Meaning

It is the very short window — usually a second or two — during which your senses hold on to what you just saw, heard, or felt before your brain decides whether to pay attention to it or let it go.

Full Definition

The first and briefest stage of human memory, in which information from the senses (sight, sound, touch, etc.) is held for a fraction of a second to a few seconds before either being passed to short-term memory or fading away. Sensory memory acts as an automatic filter, processing incoming stimuli and selecting what is worth attending to.

Context Anchor

Seen in aviation instruction when explaining how learners first take in information during ground lessons, cockpit demonstrations, and flight training.

Derivation

Sensory comes from the Latin sensus, meaning a perception or feeling, from sentire (to or ). The name simply tells you this is the memory stage tied directly to the senses, before any thinking has happened.