Final answer:
Recognition is the type of memory that allows you to notice whether a new experience is similar to or the same as one you've previously experienced. It typically involves comparing the new experience with explicit memories, such as episodic or semantic memories, stored in long-term memory.
Step-by-step explanation:
The type of memory that involves noticing whether a new experience is identical or similar to one previously experienced is called recognition. Recognition is a type of memory retrieval where you identify information that you have previously learned after encountering it again. This involves a process of comparison, which can be quite effortless and is often used in situations like taking multiple-choice tests or recognizing acquaintances at a reunion after many years.
Explicit memory, or declarative memory, is divided into episodic memory, which involves information about personal experiences, and semantic memory, which involves knowledge about words, concepts, and language-based information. The recognition process is usually associated with these types of explicit memories.
For instance, when you recognize a classmate from a yearbook photo at a reunion, your episodic memory is at work, retrieving an image or feeling associated with that person from a specific time and place. Similarly, when recognizing the correct answer on a multiple-choice test, you're often recalling semantic memory, which comprises facts and language-based knowledge that you have learned.