Memory consolidation is the process of reducing perceptual data for long-term storage; consolidation is distinct from memory deletion or forgetting. There are three types of memory consolidation:
- Thresholding: also known as digitizing; when memory data is reduced to a binary “yes” or “no” value;
- Compression: when a set of related memory data is reduced to a summary value (e.g., average, proportion/frequency of each type of data);
- Temporal discounting: memory is represented as a weighted average that prioritizes recent data over more temporally distant data.
The potential advantages of consolidation are using less of limited memory storage, easier detection of abstract patterns in the environment, easier searching (behaviorally irrelevant data is reduced), improved recognition and generalization.
People with hyperthymesia perform no consolidation of memories. This allows them have near-perfect episodic memories, since they store all of their original perceptual data.