Auditory Processing: The ability to understand and interpret sound information. It's like the secretary who listens to the messages on the answering machine and decides what needs attention.
This is where information from sensory memories (like echoic memory) goes if we decide it's important enough to remember. It's like saving a message from the answering machine because you need to return the call later.
The initial stage that holds all incoming information for a very brief amount of time (a few seconds or less). It's like having multiple answering machines for different types of sensory input (sound, sight, touch).