Long term memory Flashcards
what did Bahrick et al (1975) study?
LTM duration
392 American uni graduates shown year book photos asked to match names to faces
90% could do this after 14 years
60% could do this after 47 years
what did Tulving (1985) do?
found
episodic memory
semantic memory
procedural memory
what is episodic memory?
concerned with personal experiences and have 3 elements:
- specific details of the event
- context
- emotion
eg memory of going to university
what is semantic memory?
memories for general knowledge shared by everyone
generally begin as episodic, then become semantic when their association to a specific even is lost
eg memories about objects, language, mathematics
what is procedural memory?
skills that become automatic through repetition and practice
memories are implicit (suggested but not directly expressed)
eg how to ride a bike and swim
what was the case of Clive Wearing?
received brain damage to his hippocampus after a viral infection
he could use his STM to remember things for about 20 seconds then forgets
his procedural memory was intact, his episodic memory was damaged
what are strengths of LTM research?
PRS relates to priming
Scoville and milner case of HM
different areas of the brain are active when accessing kinds of LTM
distinctions in procedural memory
what is priming?
automatic enhanced recognition of specific stimuli
eg exposure to the word yellow would make it more likely someone would say banana when asked to name a fruit
what did Spiers et al (2000) study?
147 amnesia patients
found their procedural memory and PRS (perceptual-representation system) were intact, but the other 2 systems were not
implies 2 kinds of implicit memory exists not affected by amnesia
what did Scoville and Milner (1957) study?
case of HM who’s hippocampus was removed from both sides of the brain to reduce severe epilepsy
he could form new procedural memory’s but could not remember being taught the skill, so had no episodic memory
his memory of events before the surgery were intact
what area of the brain is active when episodic memory is accessed?
hippocampus and frontal lobe
what area of the brain is active when procedural memory is accessed?
cerebellum and motor cortex
what did Cohen and Squire (1980) do?
found distinction in procedural memory
procedural = knowing how, no conscious thought is involved
declarative = knowing that, requires conscious thought, eg knowing that london is the capital of england
what is a limitation of LTM research?
when studying brain damages patients, they are asked to carry out tasks to determine the extent of their memory function
however damage to a particular area does not mean that area is responsible for LTM, it may be acting as a relay station
damage to a relay station would explain any memory problems observed
who supported Tulving’s (1989) research?
Herlitz et al (1997)
Hassibis, Kumaran and Maguire (2007)
