According to the Atkinson and Shiffrin modal model, memory is structured into three stores: sensory memory (a short duration store that encodes mainly visual and auditory information), short-term memory (contains information that is stored for up to 30 seconds) and long-term memory (information that is stored for longer than 30 seconds). The information passes between the stores in a linear way and is passed from short-term memory to long-term memory through repetition.