The Mechanisms Underlying Conscious and Unconscious Memories: Converging Evidence from Studies Using a Memory-Dissociation Procedure

Abstract

Conscious and unconscious forms of memory were assessed by examining how the 2 forms within a test were affected by shallow and deep processing, association, and self-generation of study words in the studies using either the process-dissociation or the meta-cognition-based dissociation procedure. The results of these studies consistently showed that the 4 study conditions produced a positive effect on estimates of conscious memory in explicit and implicit tests with the effect being larger under the deep, association, and self-generation than under the shallow condition. On the other hand, shallow and deep processing produced a repetition-priming but association and self-generation produced either no repetition or a repetition-inhibition effect on estimates of unconscious memory. These results suggest that the 2 forms of memory measure different memory systems.