Procedural Memory

Procedural Memory is motor memory. Here are some sentences that demonstrate procedural memory:

• I remember/know how to pick up a glass of water.
• I remember/know how to write my name.
• I remember/know how to tie my shoe.

Your muscles have memorized a particular motion so that you know how to perform a certain action (Matlin, 1998, p. 88). Another example is using the computer's keyboard. At first, you may need to look to find each letter, but with practice, you just type without thinking of the location of each letter. You have internalized the information into your procedural memory.

When performing something with procedural memory, one not consciously aware of exactly how he or she is performing each individual movement or how to combine the movements. Becoming aware of these things can disrupt a well-learned skill (Benjamin, Hopkins, & Nation, 1994. p.261). This is because all of procedural memory is implicit.