Different types of LTM Flashcards
What are the three categories of LTM
Semantic, Episodic and Procedural
What is Episodic memory
This is memory of events, including time, place, people and emotions. May also remember the context surrounding the event and emotions felt at the time
Where is Episodic memory located
It is located in the hippocampus and associated with other parts of the frontal lobe
Which forms of LTM require concious (explicit) recall
Episodic and Semantic memory
What is Semantic memory
Semantic memory starts out as episodic when a fact is learned, but when transitioning to semantic memory it loses it’s attachment to a specific event and becomes generalisable.
Where is semantic memory located
In the temporal lobe
What is procedural memory
Concerned with skills, actions and how we do things, typically acquired through repetition and practise, and unlike other types of memory is implicit (doesn’t require concious recall)
Where is procedural memory found
In the cerrebellum and basal-ganglia, otherwise known as the limbic system
What are the rumours of a fourth type of memory
Some psychologists suggest a fourth type of LTM exist. Spiers et al suggested that the perceptual-representation system exists, and is related to priming. Priming describes how implict memories influence the responses a person has to a stimulus. Reserach has shown priming is controlled by a brain system seperate to the temportal system which supports explicit memory.
Who suggested a fourth type of LTM and what was the type he suggested
Spiers et al suggested that perceptual-represenetation system exists
How has research on Alzheimers patients been used to support the different types of LTM
Hadges and Patterson found some Alzheimers patients are able to retain the ability to make new semantic ones but not episodic ones. However, Irish et al found the opposite, with poor semantic but intact episodic. There are still two different dissociations between different areas of LTM, and it suggests semantic and episodic memories are seperate, with sematic memory accesible without episodic memory
What group of researchers investigated the different types of memory affected in Alzheimers patients
Hadges, Patterson and Irish. Hadges and Patterson found the ability to make new semantic and no episodic, Irish found the opposite
Why is the reliance on brain damage patients an issue for research into the different types of LTM
Events leading to brain damage can be extremely traumatic, which could effect their responses to stimuli. A further issue with amnesiacs (people affected by partial or full memory loss) is that it’s difficult to determine if certain parts of the brain have been affected before someone dies. Damage to one area of the brain doesn’t even necessarily mean that area is responsible for behaviour as it could just be a relay for another part of the brain. Thus studies of abnormal patients means we cannot establish causal relationships between areas of the brain and LTM
