5. Explicit Memories and Implicit Memories
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Explicit Memories and Implicit Memories
In everyday life, when people speak of memory, they are almost always speaking about what psychologists would call explicit memories. An explicit memory is a conscious or intentional recollection, usually of facts, names, events, or other things that a person can state or declare. There is another kind of memory that is not conscious. Memories of this kind are called implicit memories. An individual can have an experience that he or she cannot consciously recall yet still display reactions that indicate the experience has been somehow recorded in his or her brain.
Listening
Preparation time: 30 seconds
speaking time: 1 minute
Texts
Ok, the first kind of memory, we’re all very familiar with this, right? You probably remember what you had for dinner last night? You have a conscious memory of last night’s dinner, so if I ask you “what did you eat last night?” you could tell me. But these other kind memories implicit memories, they work differently.
Let’s take an example from the world of advertising. When you’re driving along the highway, you see plenty of billboards, you know, roadside advertisements. You certainly don’t remember them all, but they still affect you. Marketing researchers have shown, well to be specific, let’s say there’s a billboard on the highway advertising a car called the PANTHER. The ad shows a big picture of the car and above the car in huge letters is the name of the car PANTHER. A lot of people drive by the billboard. But ask those drivers later if they saw any advertisements for cars.
Well, they’ll think about it and a lot of them would say “no”. They honestly don’t remember seeing any. They have no conscious memory of the PANTHER billboard. So you ask the same people a different question, you ask, ok, you ask them to name an animal starting with the letter P. What do you think they’ll answer, do they say pig? Pig is the most common animal that starts with the letter P, but they don’t say pig. They say panther. The billboard has an effect even though the drivers don’t remember ever seeing it.
Explanation
Summary of the reading passage
The tile of the reading passage: Explicit Memories and Implicit Memories
The definition of explicit memories and implicit memories: An explicit memory is a conscious or intentional recollection. There is another kind of memory that is not conscious. An individual can have an experience that he or she cannot consciously recall yet still display reactions.
Summary of the lecture
People can easily remember what they had for dinner last night.
This is an example of explicit memory because they can recall it consciously.
Implicit memory, however, is different.
For example, when we are driving along the highway, we encounter a lot of billboards.
Even if we don’t remember advertisements we see, the advertisements can be in our brain and display unconsciously.
For example, suppose there is a car advertisement on a billboard along the highway and the car is called PANTHER.
Even if many drivers who pass the billboard don’t remember if they saw this advertisement or not, when they are later asked to name an animal starting with the letter P, they say panther, not pig, which is the most common animal starting with the letter P.
This happens because of implicit memory.
Sample answer
The reading passage delineates between explicit and implicit memories. Explicit memory involves conscious or intentional recollection, where individuals can actively recall past experiences. However, even when individuals cannot consciously recall an experience, their brain may still retain the memory, manifesting in subtle reactions or responses.
In the lecture, the professor provides examples to illustrate these concepts. He first discusses explicit memory by noting how individuals can readily recall what they had for dinner the previous night, showcasing conscious recollection. Implicit memory, on the other hand, operates differently. For instance, during a drive along the highway, individuals encounter numerous billboards and advertisements. Although they may not consciously remember the specific advertisements they see, the information can still be stored in their memory and manifest unconsciously.
Explicit Memories and Implicit Memories
In everyday life, when people speak of memory, they are almost always speaking about what psychologists would call explicit memories. An explicit memory is a conscious or intentional recollection, usually of facts, names, events, or other things that a person can state or declare. There is another kind of memory that is not conscious. Memories of this kind are called implicit memories. An individual can have an experience that he or she cannot consciously recall yet still display reactions that indicate the experience has been somehow recorded in his or her brain.
Listening
Preparation time: 30 seconds
speaking time: 1 minute
Texts
Ok, the first kind of memory, we’re all very familiar with this, right? You probably remember what you had for dinner last night? You have a conscious memory of last night’s dinner, so if I ask you “what did you eat last night?” you could tell me. But these other kind memories implicit memories, they work differently.
Let’s take an example from the world of advertising. When you’re driving along the highway, you see plenty of billboards, you know, roadside advertisements. You certainly don’t remember them all, but they still affect you. Marketing researchers have shown, well to be specific, let’s say there’s a billboard on the highway advertising a car called the PANTHER. The ad shows a big picture of the car and above the car in huge letters is the name of the car PANTHER. A lot of people drive by the billboard. But ask those drivers later if they saw any advertisements for cars.
Well, they’ll think about it and a lot of them would say “no”. They honestly don’t remember seeing any. They have no conscious memory of the PANTHER billboard. So you ask the same people a different question, you ask, ok, you ask them to name an animal starting with the letter P. What do you think they’ll answer, do they say pig? Pig is the most common animal that starts with the letter P, but they don’t say pig. They say panther. The billboard has an effect even though the drivers don’t remember ever seeing it.
Explanation
Summary of the reading passage
The tile of the reading passage: Explicit Memories and Implicit Memories
The definition of explicit memories and implicit memories: An explicit memory is a conscious or intentional recollection. There is another kind of memory that is not conscious. An individual can have an experience that he or she cannot consciously recall yet still display reactions.
Summary of the lecture
People can easily remember what they had for dinner last night.
This is an example of explicit memory because they can recall it consciously.
Implicit memory, however, is different.
For example, when we are driving along the highway, we encounter a lot of billboards.
Even if we don’t remember advertisements we see, the advertisements can be in our brain and display unconsciously.
For example, suppose there is a car advertisement on a billboard along the highway and the car is called PANTHER.
Even if many drivers who pass the billboard don’t remember if they saw this advertisement or not, when they are later asked to name an animal starting with the letter P, they say panther, not pig, which is the most common animal starting with the letter P.
This happens because of implicit memory.
Sample answer
The reading passage delineates between explicit and implicit memories. Explicit memory involves conscious or intentional recollection, where individuals can actively recall past experiences. However, even when individuals cannot consciously recall an experience, their brain may still retain the memory, manifesting in subtle reactions or responses.
In the lecture, the professor provides examples to illustrate these concepts. He first discusses explicit memory by noting how individuals can readily recall what they had for dinner the previous night, showcasing conscious recollection. Implicit memory, on the other hand, operates differently. For instance, during a drive along the highway, individuals encounter numerous billboards and advertisements. Although they may not consciously remember the specific advertisements they see, the information can still be stored in their memory and manifest unconsciously.