A03 types of LTM Flashcards
Strength : Clinical evidence
One strength of types of LTM is that there is clinical evidence to support it. Famous case studies of HM and clive wearing show that episodic memory in both men was severely impaired as a consequence of amnesia. They had difficulty recalling events that had happened to them in their pasts, but semantic memory were relatively unaffected.
For eg. they understood the meaning of words, so HM would not be able to recall stroking a dog half an hour earlier but would not need the concept of dog explained to him over and over again. Their procedural memory was also intact.They both knew how to tie shoe laces ,walk and speak
Eg.Clive wearing (professional musician) how to read sing and play piano.
Therefore, this supports Tulving sview that there are different memory stores in LTM. One store can be damaged but others unaffected.tHIS IS CLEAR EVIDENCE THAT types of memory is different and they are stored in different parts of the brain.
Strength : Neuroimaging evidence
Another strength is that there is evidence from brain scan studies that different types of memory are stored in different parts of the brain.
Eg. Tulving et al. got their ppt to perform various memory tasks whil their brains were scanned using a PET scanner. They found episodic and semantic memories were both recalled from the prefrontal cortex.
This area is divided in two -> Left prefrontal cortex = recalling semantic memories + right prefrontal cortex = recalling episodic memories.
This is a strength because it supports the view that there is a physical reality to different types of LTM in the brain. Confirmed by later studies = validity
Strength : Real life application
Types of LTM allows psychologists to target certain kings of memory in order to better peoples lives. Belleville et al demonstrated that episodic memories could be improved in older people who had a mild cognitive impairment.
The trained ppt performed better on a test of episodic memory after training than a control group.
Episodic memory is a type of memory most often affected by cognitive impairment, which highlights the benefit of being able to distinguish between types of LTM - enables specific treatments to be developed.
Weakness Problem with clinical evidence
