Long term memory Flashcards
who believed that the MSM’s view of LTM was too simplistic ? And when ?
Tulving in 1985
what did Tulving suggest ?
Tulving suggested that there are LTM stores, each containing different types of info in LTM
what are the 2 subunits that the LTM can be divided into ?
procedural memories (how to do things) - reading ,driving, walking
declarative memory (what)
what 2 stores can the declarative memory be divided into ?
semantic memories- with meaning
episodic memories- personal about you
features of episodic memory ?
-refers to our ability to recall events (episodes) in our lives
- autobiographical memory
-time stamped to when events occurred
- includes info about people/ places involved
why is the episodic memory explicit ?
because we continually need to recall the event
what kind of emotions influence the strength of the episodic memory ? example ?
high intense emotions
- we recall traumatic events very well due to the high emotional content
what also affects the strength of the episodic memories ?
it is also affected by the degree of processing of info at coding , where highly processed episodic events are recalled more easily
what is meant by semantic memories ?
our knowledge of the world / facts
what kind of recall does the semantic memories have ?
conscious recall (explicit)
are semantic memories time stamped ?
no
what are semantic memories regarding how personal they are ?
they are less personal than episodic memories
which memories last longer semantic or episodic ?
semantic memories
where are the semantic memories stored in ?
it is stored in the hippocampus + other brain areas
what is meant by procedural memories ?
our knowledge of how to do things
- memories of actions and skills
what are procedural memories also known as ? why ?
non declarative memories
- because they are difficult to explain in words
what is the recall of procedural memories?
recall with no conscious awareness
- implicit
Clinical evidence
-episodic memory impaired in KM and clive wearing meant that they had difficulty recalling events that had happened in the past
- semantic memories were unaffected
- procedural was also in tact as Clive still knew how to read music
Neuroimaging evidence
- Tulving got participants to peform memory tasks whilst using a PET scan
- episodic and semantic memories were recalled from the prefrontal cortex
- left = recall of semantic
- right = recall of episodic
- this supports that there are different types of LTM
Real - life applications
psychologists can target certain kinds of memory in order to better peoples lives
what did Belville do in 2006
improved episodic memory in old people with mild cognitive impairment
- being able to distinguish between types of LTM allows specific treatment to be developed
