Visual memory

Visual memory is a type of memory in which the brain is able to store and recall information, such as people, objects, locations, words, and activities seen by a person. More simply, people can remember some of what they see in the world around them. Some people have visual memory impairments that may lead to difficulty performing certain activities, such as reading, spelling, writing or copying, and recalling information. Individuals can complete certain exercises, tasks, or games to develop, test, and improve their visual memory skills.

Background

Memory is everything a person remembers; it gives people the ability to recall and learn from past experiences. Memory is the brain’s ability to store, retain, and retrieve information and experiences. The word memory is derived from the Middle English word memorie, which in turn comes from the Anglo-French words memoire and memorie and the Latin words memoria and memor, which all mean “mindful” or “remembering.”

For the brain to store a memory, it must encode information. Once stored, memories later can be recalled. Memories are stored in an area of the brain outside a person’s awareness. When a person needs to recall a memory, the brain brings it into the conscious awareness. Each piece of a memory (such as sounds, sights, words, emotions) is encoded in the same part of the brain associated with processing the element. Recalling the memory activates the parts of the brain in which the pieces of the memory are stored. Visual memory retrieval also depends on the hippocampus and parietal cortex, in addition to the frontal and occipital regions.

Memory is not located in one specific location of the brain. Several areas of the brain work together when a person accesses a memory. For example, when a person drives a car, the memory of how to operate the car comes from one area, the memory of driving rules is from another portion, the memory of directions comes from another part, and the nervousness felt when another vehicle gets too close and nearly causes an accident is from another area. All of these memories in the different parts of the brain are tied together to allow a person to remember how to operate a motor vehicle. Physical memory traces, known as engrams, help explain how memories are stored and retrieved in the brain.

Three basic stages of memory exist: sensory memory, short-term memory, and long-term memory. During sensory memory, the brain records and stores information for a very brief time, usually no more than a few seconds (with visual sensory memory usually fading in less than a second). Certain parts of these memories are retained and become part of the short-term memory. Short-term memory, also called active memory, is all the information a person is thinking about or aware of at a specific time. This information usually is retained for about thirty seconds before it may be forgotten. Pieces that are retained become part of the long-term memory. Long-term memory is all the information that is stored in the brain for long periods. People are not actively aware of their long-term memories unless they need to access this information. Not all the information stored in the long-term memory can be recalled easily.

Studies report that long-term memory is organized through networks of related information, often described as semantic or associative networks. In addition, recalling one memory may trigger related memories. For example, if individuals recall a particular restaurant, they may remember other related memories, such as old friends that used to eat there with them.

Overview

Visual memory is one of the main types of memory processing or learning styles. The others are auditory and kinesthetic. Visual memory allows people to recall what they have seen. Auditory memory is what people remember hearing, and kinesthetic memory includes the feelings and physical movements associated with an activity or event.

Visual memory allows people to look at a person, make a mental image of this person, and retain this image for later use. Visual memory is responsible for allowing a person to identify people, items, and places by recalling physical characteristics, remember where an object or a place is located, and give directions. It is vital to learning because the majority of what is learned is visual; people need to be able to visually picture information and remember what they see. For example, visual memory in learning is responsible for letter and number recognition, reading, spelling, copying notes from a blackboard, and making mental images of pictures.

When a person remembers the location of a particular place, a part of the brain activates and shows the location, as if the person were actually visualizing the place. The frontal lobes (located in the front of the brain) and occipital lobe (located at the back of the brain) are involved in allowing the brain to retrieve visual memories. Visual memories typically are automatically recalled. However, the visual processing system can be compromised by disorders that affect the frontal lobes of the brain. How and why disrupted frontal lobes affect the occipital lobe from retrieving visual memories is unknown, this relationship remains an area of investigation. Retrieving memories is a process that involves several parts of the brain working together, so if any of these areas of the brain are interrupted, this can disrupt memory.

People who have visual memory disorders, a type of visual processing disorders, can have trouble learning how to read, comprehend, and retain information. This is because they lack the ability to efficiently store and recall images in the mind and form mental pictures of what is happening as they read and comprehend. For example, a student who has a visual memory disorder may not be able to store images of words while studying for a spelling test. They might not be able to recall these words to spell them correctly on the test. Typically, people with these disorders learn slowly and need information repeated. They may also benefit from certain activities, tasks, or games to improve their visual memory skills.

Eidetic memory, or photographic memory, is a type of visual memory. People with an eidetic memory only need to see something once or only a few times for it to be stored in their long-term memories. The artist Leonardo da Vinci is often described as having an eidetic memory and could paint detailed portraits of people he only met one time.

Bibliography

Cherry, Kendra. “What Is Memory?” Verywell Mind, 6 Nov. 2025, www.verywellmind.com/what-is-memory-2795006. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.

Eom, Kisang, et al. “Engram and Behavior: How Memory Is Stored in the Brain.” Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, vol. 219, May 2025, article 108047, doi:10.1016/j.nlm.2025.108047. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.

“The Human Memory.” The Human Memory, www.human-memory.net/index.html. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.

Kulman, Randy. “What Is Visual Memory?” South County Child & Family Consultants, 20 Oct. 2015, southcountychildandfamily.com/2015/10/20/what-is-visual-spatial-memory. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.

Marks, Julie. “Types of Memories and Their Functions.” WebMD, 9 Oct. 2024, www.webmd.com/alzheimers/types-of-memory. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.

“More than Meets the Eye: New Research Shows How the Visual System Contributes to Memory.” New York University, 17 Aug. 2023, www.nyu.edu/about/news-publications/news/2023/august/more-than-meets-the-eye--new-research-shows-how-the-visual-syste.html. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.

Pantazatos, Spiro P., et al. “Frontal–Occipital Connectivity during Visual Search.” Brain Connectivity, vol. 2, no. 3, June 2012, pp. 164–75, doi:10.1089/brain.2012.0072. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.

Tonegawa, Susumu, et al. “The Role of Engram Cells in the Systems Consolidation of Memory.” Nature Reviews Neuroscience, vol. 19, 2018, pp. 485–98, doi:10.1038/s41583-018-0031-2. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.

“Visual Memory: Definition & Skills.” Study.com, study.com/academy/lesson/visual-memory-definition-skills.html. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.

“Visual Short-Term Memory.” CogniFit, www.cognifit.com/science/cognitive-skills/visual. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.

Zimmermann, Kim Ann. “Memory Definition & Types of Memory.” Live Science, 27 Feb. 2014, www.livescience.com/43713-memory.html. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.