Not all researchers agree that short-term and long-term memory are separate systems. Some theorists propose that memory is unitary over all time scales, from milliseconds to years[4]. Support for the unitary memory hypothesis comes from the fact that it has been difficult to demarcate a clear boundary between short-term and long-term memory. For instance, Tarnow shows that the recall probability vs. latency curve is a straight line from 6 to 600 seconds (ten minutes), with the probability of failure to recall only saturating after 600 seconds [5]. If there were really two different memory stores operating in this time frame, one could expect a discontinuity in this curve. Other research has shown that the detailed pattern of recall errors looks remarkably similar for recall of a list immediately after learning (presumably from short-term memory) and recall after 24 hours (necessarily from long-term memory).[6]
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Short-term_memory -

Long-term memory (LTM) is memory that can last as little as a few days or as long as decades. It differs structurally and functionally from working memory or short-term memory, which ostensibly stores items for only around 18 seconds (Peterson and Peterson, 1959). Biologically, short-term memory is a temporary potentiation of neural connections that can become long-term memory through the process of rehearsal and meaningful association. Much is not known about the underlying biological mechanisms of long-term memory, but the process of long-term potentiation, which involves a physical change in the structure of neurons, has been proposed as the mechanism by which short-term memories move into long-term storage. The time scale involved at each level of memory processing remains under investigation. As long-term memory is subject to fading in the natural forgetting process, several recalls/retrievals of memory may be needed for long-term memories to last for years, dependent also on the depth of processing. Individual retrievals can take place in increasing intervals in accordance with the principle of spaced repetition. This can happen quite naturally through reflection or deliberate recall (also known as recapitulation), often dependent on the perceived importance of the material.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long-term_memory -

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Note added at 1 day2 hrs (2010-08-17 07:38:33 GMT)
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Langzeitgedächtnis :
Alt - bzw. biographisches Gedächtnis

Langzeitgedächtnis :
Neugedächtnis ( letzter Tag und Woche )

Kurzzeitgedächtnis :
( bis zu 10 Minuten )

Ultrakurzzeitgedächtnis :
Arbeitsgedächtnis

◦Auffassung
◦Aufmerksamkeit / Konzentration

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Note added at 1 day3 hrs (2010-08-17 08:16:53 GMT)
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Die Gedächtnisforschung unterscheidet bekanntlich zwischen dem Ultrakurzzeitgedächtnis, dem Kurzzeit- bzw. Arbeitsgedächtnis, und dem Langzeitgedächtnis.
Sensorische ultrakurzer Filter Kurzeitgedächtnis Langzeitge.
Reize Speicher Interessen Filter

Die Inhalte des Kurzzeitgedächtnisses treten als Aktivierungen von Neuronen auf (also als Hirnaktivität); die Inhalte des Langzeitgedächtnisses dagegen sind in Form von Verbindungen zwischen Neuronen gespeichert (liegen also als Hirnstruktur vor).

Ein intaktes Kurzzeitgedächtnis (Bewusstsein, Aufmerksamkeit) ist die Voraussetzung ... den neueren Teil des Langzeitgedächtnisses als »Kurzzeitgedächtnis«. ...
books.google.ch/books?isbn=3540256946...