Question

Which of the following scenarios best illustrates the use of explicit memory?

a) Remembering how to ride a bike
b) Recalling your phone number
c) Automatically tying shoelaces without thinking
d) Recognizing a familiar face

Answer 1

Recalling your phone number is the best example of explicit memory, which is the conscious retrieval of facts and personal experiences.

Step-by-step explanation:

The scenario that best illustrates the use of explicit memory is b) Recalling your phone number. Explicit memory, also known as declarative memory, involves the conscious retrieval of information which we can express and declare. It can be further divided into semantic memory (facts and knowledge) and episodic memory (personal experiences).

Recalling a phone number requires the activation of semantic memory because it's a consciously recalled fact. In contrast, options a) and c) are examples of implicit memory, which entails the unconscious retrieval of skills, also known as procedural memory.

Option d), recognizing a familiar face, is a case of recognition, which is still a form of explicit memory but relies more on the process of identification rather than recall.