Final answer:
Pre-attentive processing, characterized by rapid subconscious information gathering, is also known as Implicit processing. It's contrasted by top-down processing that uses prior knowledge and differs from the memory functions of encoding, storage, and retrieval. Automatic processing involves effortless recall, unlike effortful processing, which is deliberate and conscious.
Step-by-step explanation:
Pre-attentive processing is a subconscious accumulation of information from the environment. All available information is processed by the sensory memory, and certain characteristics of objects are understood prior to conscious awareness. The correct answer to what pre-attentive processing is also known as is Implicit processing. This type of processing occurs very rapidly and is not under deliberate focus, unlike top-down processing, which involves using previous experience and expectations to recognize stimuli. Examples of pre-attentive attributes include color, orientation, and line length; these can be processed at once without the need to concentrate on any one of them.
Regarding the three functions of memory, the correct answer is encoding, storage, and retrieval. Automatic processing, such as recalling what you had for lunch, is effortless and does not require conscious thought. In contrast, learning material for a test would involve effortful processing.