Memory Types

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 and falling over the handlebars and skinning your knee. The other is implicit memory which is an exponential functional form of memory that cannot be consciously recalled. This is your memory of how to ride a bike or how to balance it. These are often not tied to visual memory, but a more like muscle memory. The examples of implicit memory include using language naturally, driving and reading, and answering multiple questions in the test, etc., will be natural. Let's look at explicit and implicit memory in a little more detail, and see how age influences these. It is an experimental or functional form of memory. Explicit memory consists of a great deal of highly personal memories related to time, space, and people. It is totally different from implicit memory. Now, if we look at the examples of explicit memory, it includes remembering people's birthdays and answering multiple questions on the test.