AP Psychology Practice Test 2026 - Free AP Psychology Practice Questions and Study Guide

Echoic memory refers to the momentary sensory memory of auditory stimuli. This type of memory allows individuals to retain sounds for a brief period after the original stimulus has ended. Typically, echoic memory lasts for a few seconds, enabling people to process and comprehend what they have heard, similar to how iconic memory functions for visual stimuli. This brief retention plays a crucial role in communication and understanding spoken language, as it allows individuals to capture the full essence of auditory information before it fades from awareness.

In contrast, iconic memory pertains to visual stimuli, representing how visual information is retained for a brief moment. Long-term potentiation is related to the strengthening of synapses based on recent patterns of activity, and it plays a significant role in learning and memory formation over longer periods. Semantic encoding involves processing information based on its meaning, which helps facilitate the transfer of that information into long-term memory. Each of these concepts relates to memory but serves different functions and types, highlighting the unique characteristics and processes of echoic memory in the context of auditory stimuli.