REACTIVATING A REACTIVATION THEORY OF IMPLICIT MEMORY

Implicit and explicit memory tasks are interpreted within a traditiona l memory theory that distinguishes associations between different clas ses of memory units (sensory features, logogens, imagens, concepts, co ntext tags). Associations from specific sensory features to logogens a re strengthened by perceptual experiences, leading to specific percept ual priming. Associations among concepts are strengthened by use, lead ing to specific conceptual priming. Activating associations from conce pts to logogens leads to semantic and associative priming. Item presen tation also establishes a new association from it to a representation of the personal context, comprising an ''episodic memory.'' Such conte xtual associations play a major role in explicit memory tasks such as recall or recognition. A critical assumption of the theory is that pre sentation of a given item strengthens its sensory and contextual assoc iations independently; this permits the theory to explain various diss ociations of implicit and explicit memory measures. Furthermore, by as suming that brain-injured patients with global amnesia have a selectiv e deficit in establishing novel associations to the context, the theor y can explain their deficits in explicit memory along side their intac t implicit memory. (C) 1996 Academic Press, Inc.