An experienced guitarist can play a familiar, complex song flawlessly while carrying on a conversation. Their fingers seem to move to the correct frets and strings automatically, without any conscious direction. This ability to perform a well-practiced motor task without deliberate thought is primarily supported by which type of memory system?

Memory that involves learned skill. Includes what is often regarded as muscle memory for sports and playing an instrument.

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

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Implicit memory is classified into several main subtypes. These include procedural memory (how to do things), priming (where exposure to one stimulus affects responses to a later one), and implicit emotional conditioning (classically conditioned emotional responses that occur without conscious awareness).

Types of Implicit Memory

Goldstein, E. B. (2014). Cognitive psychology: Connecting mind, research and everyday experience. Nelson Education.


Cognitive psychology: Connecting mind, research and everyday experience

Spielman, R. M., Jenkins, W. J., & Lovett, M. D. (2020, April 22). Psychology (2nd ed.). OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/psychology-2e/pages/1-introduction

OpenStax Psychology (2nd ed.) Textbook

Procedural memory (skill memory)

A behavioral process where a response becomes more frequent/predictable in response to reinforcement

Conditioning

Implicit emotional conditioning refers to emotional responses that have been learned through classical conditioning but are not consciously reportable or recallable. These emotional associations are linked to specific stimuli, such as a particular smell or song, which can then trigger an emotional reaction without the individual being aware of the origin of the feeling.

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