AP Psychology Practice Test 2025 - Free AP Psychology Practice Questions and Study Guide

The encoding of sound, particularly the sound of words, is referred to as acoustic encoding. This process involves the transformation of auditory information into a format that can be stored in memory. Acoustic encoding emphasizes the importance of the sound characteristics of the material to help with retention and recall.

For instance, when you hear a word, the way it sounds becomes a crucial part of your memory registration. This type of encoding is particularly effective when it involves rhymes or musical lyrics, as the acoustic qualities enhance memorization.

In contrast, semantic encoding focuses on the meaning of the information being encoded, which would involve understanding and processing the words rather than how they sound. Iconic memory pertains to visual stimuli, not auditory ones, while chunking is a memory technique used to group information into manageable pieces, but it does not specifically relate to the encoding of sound.