Implicit versus Explicit Memory: Definitions & Differences
In this lesson, we will explore what implicit and explicit memories are, as well as each of their sub-components. Furthermore, we will discuss how age influences each of these sub-components.
Memory
I want you to try and remember two things. First, I want you to try and remember learning how to ride a bike. Maybe you have a scar you received when you flipped over the handlebars. The next thing I want you to remember is how to ride a bike.
The reason I asked you to recall both of these memories is that they belong to two different designated realms of memory. Memory is a fluid and dynamic system that is exceedingly complicated. To this end, psychologists have attempted to divide memory up to make it easier to study.
There are two main categories. Explicit memory is a memory that can be intentionally and consciously recalled. This is your memory of riding a bike, of falling over the handlebars and skinning your knee. The other is implicit memory, which is an experiential or functional form of memory that cannot be consciously recalled. This is your memory of how to ride a bike or how to balance. These are often not tied to a visual memory but are more like muscle memory.
Let’s look at explicit and implicit memory in a little more detail and see how age influences these.
Explicit Memory
Again, an explicit memory is a memory that can be intentionally and consciously recalled. It has been typically divided up into two main categories itself:
Episodic memory: Personal events that can be recalled
Semantic memory: Facts and figures which can be recalled
Episodic memories are like episodes of a TV series that is all about you. You can recall the episode of the first time you asked someone out, the first broken bone you had and what you ate for breakfast. As we age, these memories become more difficult to create and maintain. This means elderly people are less likely to form new episodic memories as they age but will likely keep the ones from their youth. That’s why your great-grandfather is always prattling on about his time on the farm as a youth – it’s all he remembers.
Semantic memories are the facts and figures that you can recall. When did Columbus sail the ocean blue? When is your birthday? These are recallable facts even if you can’t remember when or how you learned them. Semantic memories are the most stable type of memory. While we might forget something occasionally and feel like we’re losing our minds, these memories tend to stick around (they may just get a little harder to bring back up).
Implicit Memory
Implicit memory is an experiential or functional form of memory that cannot be consciously recalled. Unlike explicit memories that can be recalled, implicit memories are more under the radar. They have been linked to subconscious or unconscious mechanisms. There are three types of implicit memories:
Priming: Prior exposure influences later testing
Procedural: Repetition-induced motor memories
Conditioning: The linking of unrelated stimuli and responses
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