Memory is the basis of any person's learning or being able to learn… Without it, we would be lost. Anyone who has to study can tell you that to pass a test you must learn the information by heart. In fact, memory is not only important for exams, it is important for any day-to-day learning, no matter how small.
If you study for a test, it will likely take practice and effort to get good results. Actually, there are also other details or events that occur in the day to day that can enter the memory with more or less effort, Why is there this difference in effort in memory?
It depends on how the brain receives the information. Trying to learn a song by force is not the same as learning it without realizing it because you listen to it every day on the radio on the way to work. Why does it seem like some things are so hard to remember and other things so easy? What is the difference?
Implicit and explicit memory
The information that you have to consciously remember is explicit memory (for example, answers for a test) and the information that you remember unconsciously and effortlessly is known as implicit memory (for example, driving or riding a bicycle). To fully understand what implicit memory is, we first have to understand what explicit memory is and how it works. In explicit memory conscious effort is required and in implicit memory it does not.
Explicit memory
When you want to intentionally remember something (for example, a new recipe for a dish you want to cook), this information is stored in your explicit memory. This type of memory is used every day as it is used for academic learning, to remember the Wi-Fi password or the appointment you have to go to the doctor next week. This type of memory is also known as declarative memory.
Explicit memory examples:
- Remember what you learned in class
- Remember your aunt's phone number
- Remember the name of the president of the current government
- Write a job and remember what to put
- Remember the time you are meeting your appointment
- Remember a recipe
- Remember the instructions of a board game that is not well known
Explicit memory types
There are two different types of explicit memory, these are:
- Episodic memory. Long-term memories of specific events (what you had for dinner yesterday)
- Semantic memory. Memories or general knowledge (names, facts, etc.)
Implicit memory
At this point you will be able to understand well what implicit memory consists of. Things that you don't consciously or intentionally remember are stored in your implicit memory. This type of memory is unconscious and involuntary. It is also known as non-declarative memory since it cannot be conscious ... it is an automatic memory.
In implicit memory we have procedural memory. This is the way to perform a specific task (such as making toast for breakfast or riding a bike) that comes from implicit memory and that you do not need to consciously remember to carry out. While implicit memories are not consciously remembered, they are still They influence the way you behave and your knowledge of different tasks.
Implicit memory examples
- Sing a song that you know
- Type on your computer keyboard
- Brush your teeth
- Bicycling
- Drive a car
- Perform simple kitchen tares
- Walk a familiar route
- Dressing up
- Dial a phone of someone you know by heart
Exercise for you to differentiate them better
There is nothing better to learn things than to do it in a practical way. To better understand the differences between implicit memory and explicit memory, write this sentence without looking at the computer keyboard in a new blank document: 'Eating red pepper is tempting'… Easy, right? Now, without looking at the keyboard try to pronounce all the letters that appear on the first row of your computer keyboard ... It's not so easy anymore!
You can probably type the phrase on your computer and without looking at the keyboard without having to consciously think where each letter is ... Because this task requires implicit memory. However, having to remember the exact letters that appear on the top first line of the keyboard will require some explicit memory work. You have probably never sat down to learn the letters on the first top line of your keyboard, so it is not something you can easily remember.