Which memory system includes episodic memory (autobiographical) and semantic memory (facts)?

• A. Nondeclarative memory
• B. Declarative memory
• C. Working memory
• D. Prospective memory

Answer: (B)

Memories we can consciously recall and describe are organized in declarative memory, also called explicit memory. This system has two parts: episodic memory, which is our autobiographical store of personal experiences with context like time and place, and semantic memory, which holds general facts and knowledge independent of personal experiences. Because both types of memory are accessible to awareness and can be verbalized, they belong together under declarative memory. In contrast, nondeclarative (implicit) memory covers skills, habits, and learned responses that often operate without conscious recall. Working memory deals with holding and manipulating information in the moment, not the long-term store that contains episodic and semantic knowledge. Prospective memory concerns remembering to perform actions in the future and is more about intention than the primary storage of episodic/semantic content. So the system that includes both episodic and semantic memory is declarative memory.