Question

Your friend asked you a question. You were a bit distracted, so you were not sure what he said initially.

But before you asked him to repeat the question, you figured out what his question was. This phenomenon
nicely illustrates the operation of a transient memory store known as __________.
A. echoic memory
B. flashbulb memory
C. iconic memory
D. implicit memory

Answer 1

Echoic memory is a form of sensory memory that temporarily retains audio information, allowing someone who was initially distracted to later process what was said even if they didn't catch it at first.

Step-by-step explanation:

The phenomenon that you described, where you were distracted and initially did not catch what your friend asked but figured it out without having them repeat it, is an example of echoic memory. Echoic memory is a type of sensory memory that retains audio information. It temporarily stores sounds that you've heard, allowing them to be processed even if you're briefly distracted or not fully attentive. This transient memory store gives you a chance to retrieve and understand auditory information that you might have missed initially.