Final answer:
The process of automatically organizing items into familiar, manageable units is known as chunking, a memory strategy that helps in breaking down information into smaller, more memorable chunks.
Step-by-step explanation:
The process of organizing items into familiar, manageable units, which often occurs automatically, is known as chunking. Chunking is a strategy used to improve memory by breaking down information into bite-sized pieces or chunks that are easier to remember. For instance, phone numbers are commonly chunked using hyphens to make them more memorable. This contrasts with other memory processes such as encoding, which is the input of information into the memory system, or retrieval, which is the process of getting information out of memory storage and back into conscious awareness.
Chunking can be seen as part of the construction of new memories, where information is organized alongside other similar information, connecting new concepts to existing ones. This is particularly helpful in scenarios like memorizing phone numbers, dates, or other sequences that might otherwise be difficult to recall in their entirety without some form of organization.