Reconsidering the use of "explicit" and "implicit" as terms to describe task requirements

Abstract Conscious and unconscious expressions of memory-explicit and implicit memory, respectively-may be used to support performance in a given task, even when the task demands do not ostensibly require one or the other. Work from Voss, Lucas and Paller reveal that just as indirect tasks can capture the influence of explicit memory, direct tasks of memory can capture implicit memory mechanisms. Consequently, tasks cannot be truly labeled as explicit or implicit; as such labels presuppose, perhaps erroneously, the nature of memory that supports performance.