think of the last time you looked up a number in a telephone book and dialed it. could you remember that number five minutes later? probably not! that's because it's in your short-term memory. Our memory actually has three components. Sensory memory takes in information from our five senses,but these memories last just a few second. Short-term memory works like a "holding area" for new information -that's where you keep the phone number while you dial it.but if you can put the phone number into long-term memory,you will remember that same phone next week.this part of your memory holds everything from irregular verbs to the names of all your cousins.