Explanation of the long term memory (2) Flashcards
What are the components of long term memory?
Episodic memory
Semantic memory
What is episodic memory
- Episodic memory is the ability to recall moments from our lives (eg wedding or birthdays) it is like a video diary
- Episodic memories are time stamped and you can remember when they happened
- Although they are not flawless we can normally remember who was present at the event
What is semantic memory
Semantic memory - This stores our knowledge of the world and facts (eg Country names or what oranges taste like)
Evaluation of long term memory:
- The different memory stores are supported by the case study HM who could not longer form or retrieve episodic memories but could remember facts and dates
- Most the given case studies had not been examined prior so the original state of their brain and memory is questionable and information is dependant on relatives
- Many psychologists do not accept that there are two completely different parts of the LTM and there are many cases against thje points
What is Episodic Memory?
Stored info about life Experiences + Events
Sometimes called Autobiographical Memory; Similar to a Mental Diary
e.g. Receiving your GCSEs
What is Semantic Memory?
Words, Facts, Rules, Meaning + Concepts are stored as Knowledge
Similar to a Mental Encyclopaedia
e.g. Counting in French, Knowing Paris is the Capital of France
How is Episodic Memory Encoded and Stored?
Experiences and Events are encoded and stored with Temporal/Spatial Referencing (when + where they were learnt)
e.g. You know you got your GCSEs on a morning of Aug 2015, in the canteen
How is Semantic Memory Encoded and Stored?
Facts are NOT encoded with temporal/spatial referencing
e.g. You don’t remember where or when you learnt that Paris is the Capital of France
How is Episodic Memory Retrieved?
When being retrieved, memories may be tempered with
e.g. Because you were happy with your results, you forgot how nervous you were
How is Semantic Memory Retrieved?
The facts retrieved are the exact same as when they were encoded
e.g. You’ll always say that Paris is the Capital of France
What Evidence supports Episodic and Semantic Memory as a theory of memory?
Ostergaard:
After suffering an anoxic episode, a 10 year old boy with brain damage suffered impairment to his episodic + semantic memory.
However, he still made educational progress and was able to store info in his semantic memory.
This proves the systems are independent
KC:
Motorbike accident - he couldn’t form or recall personal life events. However, he could recall facts.
Proves the systems are independent, and they could be held in different parts of the brain
Brain Damaged Patients:
Research from brain damaged patients shows that damage to the medial temporal or prefrontal lobe caused damage to semantic memory but not episodic
Proves the systems are independent, and they could be held in different parts of the brain
What Evidence challenges Episodic and Semantic Memory as a theory of memory?
HM + CW:
Their episodic memories were damaged, but they were both still able to perform tasks like play the piano and recall new skills
This suggests that there may be a further store for already developed skills.
Squire and Zola:
They suggested that the medial temporal lobe is used for both semantic + episodic memories
This challenges the idea that the semantic + episodic memory work separately
What are the Issues and Debates surrounding Episodic and Semantic Memory as a theory of memory?
Reductionist:
Dividing the LTM into different stores suggests that they never overlap, when in fact they are easily able to work together.
Issues +; Debates:
Each case study of a brain damaged patient is unique, and you can’t really generalise their result to a wider population.
