We remember through Visual Encoding

For most humans, visual encoding is our primary method of receiving and processing information. When light waves enter our eye, they travel through the pupil back to the retina. The retina contains photoreceptors, nerves that respond to light by producing electrical signals. These electrical signals are sent through the optic nerve to the brain, where it is processed in the visual cortex and eventually transferred to memory processing.^[1] Our brain processes visual stimuli in complicated ways. Multiple rules, known as Gestalt principles, influence how we interpret light stimuli to create a complete, logical image in our brain. Interpretations of these complete images are what is stored in the memory as representative of the object or stimulus that was viewed.^[2] Visual encoding can increase recall and help encode information more deeply into memory. Seeing, or simply visualizing a stimulus, improves memory of it when paired with other forms of encoding. For example, people have been shown to recall words that they can visualize, such as those representing objects like "dog" or "snake", better than those they cannot visualize, such as those representing abstract concepts like "envy" or "anger".^[3]

[P1] Sensory stimuli are necessary to receive information. [P2] For most humans vision is the primary sense. [P3] Visual encoding is an important piece of the memory process.