Episodic & Semantic Memory

Question 1

Outline 6 points about episodic and semantic memory?

Answer 1

Episodic:

• Receives and stores info that is about data, times, events - things that relate to the individual
• Capacity/duration = unlimited and can potentially last forever
• Retrieval = only possible if been encoded and stored. Retrieval changes the memory

Semantic:

• General knowledge and facts
• Capacity/duration = unlimited and can potentially last forever
• Retrieval - doesn’t rely on stored information, just on stored rules. Retrieval doesn’t change the memory

Question 2

Give 2x strengths of Tulving’s (1972) ideas about episodic and semantic memory

Answer 2

P- Supporting evidence from case studies
E- HM, his episodic memory was severely impaired with difficulty recalling events from his past. However, his semantic memory was relatively unaffected
E- Gives support for the concept of 2 different LTM stores, adding credibility

P- Research has high ecological validity
E- Due to being case studies it looks at the ppt in their natural environment
E- Ensuring that is reflects memory in real life

Question 3

Give 2x weaknesses of Tulving’s (1972) ideas about episodic and semantic memory

Answer 3

P- Case studies lack control of variables
E- Brain damage is naturally occurring, meaning the researcher has no knowledge of the patients memory before the damage - can’t judge how memory has changed
E- Reduces the validity and limits how useful they are in helping us understand LTM

P- HM can be used to refute the theory
E- After removal of hippocampus, as part of therapy, he would have several tests carried out. Each day he would draw a star in a mirror and improve (he said he’d never done it before)
E- Supports existence of procedural memory. Suggests his explanation of LTM is incomplete and too simplistic, reducing the credibility