Implicit Memory
Implicit Memory is remembering something without being aware that you are remembering it. It is an automatic or an unconscious form of memory. (Schacter, 1987) (Benjamin, Hopkins, & Nation, 1994. p.261)
Implicit memory is special because most amnesiacs still have implicit memory skills even if they don't realize it. There are many forms of implicit memory. (Freed, 2000) What amnesiacs lose is explicit memory, memory of which one is consciously aware. (Benjamin, Hopkins, & Nation, 1994. p.261)(Jacoby & Witherspoon, 1982; Squire, 1992; Tulving & Schacter, 1990) (Benjamin, Hopkins, & Nation, 1994. p.283)
- Procedural
or motor memory
are things the muscles physically remember. - Strategies or rules for playing a game or solving a puzzle may be used without memory of ever having learned them.
- Certain words may come more easily to one's mind if they were just recently encountered.
The fact that implicit memory exists means that we are always capable of being influenced by all of our past knowledge whether we are consciously aware of it or not. This is an important factor in why predjudices and biases are still a problem today. Implicit memories can affect peoples thoughts without their knowing it.
Subliminal Messages
Another important part of implicit memory is the issue of subliminal messages. Can self-help tapes with subliminal messages help someone learn, for example, a new language? The answer to this question is controversial. Research studies have shown both ways.
In one famous study, a movie theater announced having improved sales of popcorn significantly when it flashed subliminal messages to its viewers before the show. However, is this really "remembering," or is it just motivating people to respond to their desires at that moment?
Many scientific studies have shown no improvement in using such subliminal messaging in learning. ("Subliminal Perception." 2000).
