Synonyms
Implicit memory; Nondeclarative memory; Procedural knowledge
Definition
Procedural memory describes the unconscious memory of learned tasks. Examples include riding a bike and performing difficult athletic moves. As a subset of implicit memory, it is contrasted with memory of facts and events, called declarative memory, a subset of explicit memory. Procedural memory often requires longer periods of learning compared to declarative memory and is usually acquired through repetitive performance. Different types of procedural memories are sometimes separately referred to as motor, perceptual, or cognitive (Mochizuki-Kawai 2008). Most commonly, procedural memory is measured through a task that employs more than one of these types such as Pursuit Rotor Task or Star Mirror Task (Van Gorp et al. 1999).
Historical Background
Procedural memory processing occurs without any conscious acknowledgment and has been studied in a variety of amnesic patients and aging disorders. In most of...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsReferences and Readings
Beaunieux, H., Hubert, V., Witkowski, T., Pitel, A. L., Rossi, S., Danion, J. M., et al. (2006). Which processes are involved in cognitive procedural learning? Memory (Hove, England), 14(5), 521–539.
Churchill, J. D., Stanis, J. J., Press, C., Kushelev, M., & Greenough, W. T. (2003). Is procedural memory relatively spared from age effects? Neurobiology of Aging, 24(6), 883–892.
Corkin, S. (1968). Acquisition of motor skill after bilateral medial temporal-lobe excision. Neuropsychologia, 6, 255–265.
Kawai, H., Kawamura, M., Mochizuki, S., Yamanaka, K., Arakaki, H., Tanaka, K., et al. (2002). Longitudinal study of procedural memory in patients with Alzheimer-type dementia. Brain and Nerve [Nō To Shinkei], 54(4), 307–311.
Mochizuki-Kawai, H. (2008). Neural basis of procedural memory. Brain and Nerve [Shinkei Kenkyū No Shinpo], 60(7), 825–832.
Rueda-Orozco, P. E., Montes-Rodriguez, C. J., Soria-Gomez, E., Méndez-Díaz, M., & Prospéro-García, O. (2008). Impairment of endocannabinoids activity in the dorsolateral striatum delays extinction of behavior in a procedural memory task in rats. Neuropharmacology, 55(1), 55–62.
Swinnen, S. P., Puttemans, V., & Lamote, S. (2005). Procedural memory in Korsakoff’s disease under different movement feedback conditions. Behavioural Brain Research, 159(1), 127–133.
Van Gorp, W. G., Altshuler, L., Theberge, D. C., & Mintz, J. (1999). Declarative and procedural memory in bipolar disorder. Biological Psychology, 46(4), 525–531.
Walker, M. P. (2005). A refined model of sleep and the time course of memory formation. The Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 28(1), 51.
Ward, H., Shum, D., Wallace, G., & Boon, J. (2002). Pediatric traumatic brain injury and procedural memory. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 24(4), 458–470.
Yamadori, A., Yoshida, T., Mori, E., & Yamashita, H. (1996). Neurological basis of skill learning. Brain Research. Cognitive Brain Research, 5(1–2), 49–54.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature
About this entry
Cite this entry
Zichlin, M. (2018). Procedural Memory. In: Kreutzer, J.S., DeLuca, J., Caplan, B. (eds) Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57111-9_1143
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57111-9_1143
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-57110-2
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-57111-9
eBook Packages: Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences