Implicit memory also referred to as unconscious memory refers to the unintentional retrieval of information that got obtained during a certain learning episode on tests that do not need conscious recollection of the previous learning episode (Garrett, 1975). Explicit memory, on the other hand, is the memory performance in which it can retrieve a previous learning episode consciously. Implicit memory requires very little effort to recall, whereas explicit memory requires significant and more concentrated effort to bring memories to the surface. Systematic investigation of implicit memory is a representation of the relatively new research direction in cognitive psychology as well as neuropsychology. A significant difference between explicit memory …show more content…
In infants and children, implicit knowledge remains relatively constant whereas explicit knowledge increases with age (Moskowitz, 2013). In older individuals, most of the memory that gets used is the implicit memory that is why older individuals in the society feel more comfortable and capable when they are in a familiar location. Also, implicit memory is highly robust in the face of physiological insult such as amnesia when compared to explicit memory. Implicit memory can function more effectively in places where explicit memory does not function well. Schacter, Alpert, Savage, Rauch & Albert (1996) undertook a study to determine the different parts where explicit and implicit memory occur using positron emission tomography (PET) scans. The study found out that when participants performed an explicit memory task, there was significant activation of the hippocampus whereas when an implicit memory task took place, there was reduced blood circulation in the bilateral occipital cortex although the task had no influence on hippocampal …show more content…
If an individual acquires the typing skill, it implies that they know the particular letters on the keyboard. However, many of the typists cannot correctly label blank keys in a drawing representing a keyboard. The implicit memories get placed outside the boundaries of awareness, implying that they are not aware of the memory of a give experience exists.
Examples of Explicit Memory
An example of explicit memory is when a person recalls their last vacation that explicitly refer to a particular period (say last summer) and the specific events or series of events that took place. The recalling of the incidents is something they are aware of and may even be something that is deliberate.
Another example of an explicit memory is recalling an individual’s phone number. The task requires that the person recalling be conscious of the memory or experience in which the memorized the phone number. The type of memory involved in this entails consciously remembering and explaining the required information hence declarative memory.