long term memory

Question 1

what is long term memory

Answer 1

stores information for lengthy periods of time. it has different kinds of stores - some are easier to access than others

Question 2

what is the coding of LTM

Answer 2

semantic. memory is stored as part of a set of meaningful connections to other stored information.

Question 3

what is the capacity of LTM

Answer 3

large, potentially unlimited. limit is not found. brains dont get completely full up with info and cant fit more. maybe we lose the ability to access some information. information can last for up to a lifetime but can be lost through decay and interference.

Question 4

what is the duration of LTM

Answer 4

unlimited. we can still recall childhood events

Question 5

what are the three types of long term memory

Answer 5

procedural, semantic and episodic

Question 6

what is procedural memory

Answer 6

memories for motor skills and actions that are carried out in a certain order. it is responsible for knowing how to do things. it is an implicit form of LTM

Question 7

is procedural memory declarative or non declarative

Answer 7

non declarative as it can be difficult to describe verbally and put into words. it does not involve conscious thought

Question 8

why is procedural unavailable for conscious inspection

Answer 8

we carry out actions automatically without much awareness of the memory

Question 9

what are episodic memories

Answer 9

refers to memories relating to a specific episode or event that happened in your life. they have a particular time and place. it is an explicit form of LTM

Question 10

why are episodic memories autobiographical

Answer 10

its memories of personal events

Question 11

are episodic memories declarative or non declarative

Answer 11

declarative as they can be easily described verbally and put into words.

Question 12

can episodic memories be consciously inspected

Answer 12

yes because we usually have an awareness of the specific personal memory

Question 13

give an example of where emotions affect how episodic memories are encoded

Answer 13

traumatic events are often remembered well due to emotional content

Question 14

what are semantic memories

Answer 14

they relate to meaning and general knowledge about the world. they fact based memories for meaningful information and arent personal memories. they have no reference to time and place

Question 15

are semantic memories declarative or non declarative

Answer 15

declarative

Question 16

which are more resistant to forgetting and amnesia

Answer 16

procedural

Question 17

what does research suggest about the location of LTM in the brain

Answer 17

different type of long term memory are located in different areas of the brain

Question 18

where did Tulving get his data from

Answer 18

reported data from studies that use PET scans

Question 19

what did Tulving ask participants to do

Answer 19

participants were asked to think of a specific memory whilst the blood flow in their brain was being monitored. when they thought of episodic memories a different part of the brain was being activated compared to when participants thought of semantic memories

Question 20

where are the locations of episodic and semantic memory according to Tulving

Answer 20

episodic memories - right prefontal cortex
semantic memories - left prefontal cortex

Question 21

what happened to patient HM

Answer 21

during childhood HM was involved in a bicycle accident which resulted in him developing epilepsy. many seizures he had experienced worsened due to the point where medication was having little impact and left him with no option but to do surgery.

Question 22

what happened when HM had his hippocampus (part of his brain) removed

Answer 22

it reduced seizures but left him with problems with his memory. he had anterograde amnesia and had problems forming some type of LTM

Question 23

what is the difference between anterograde and retrograde amnesia

Answer 23

anterograde amnesia - loss of ability to form new memories
retrograde amnesia - loss of ability to recall past memories

Question 24

how did Brenda Miller study HM in 1957

Answer 24

she asked him to complete a procedural memory task (action movement). he had to trace lines in a star whilst only watching his hand movements in a mirror .

Question 25

how did HM do

Answer 25

he performed poorly but over time as he did it again he got a lot better suggesting he had been able to form LTM for knowing how to do tasks. he was able to form procedural memories

Question 26

even though HM was able to form procedural memories, what couldn’t HM do

Answer 26

each time he came to do the task he had no memory of ever having done it before. he had no episodic memories

Question 27

what did Brenda Miller conclude about LTM

Answer 27

there are different types of LTM

Question 28

what were the SPE memories according to HM’s case

Answer 28

Semantic - HM would forget the person he was talking to the moment he left
Episodic - he had no memories of time and place of ever having completed the task before
Procedural - he created new long term memories for the tracing line task as his ability improved

Question 29

who was Clive Wearing (1985)

Answer 29

he was a highly skilled musician and conductor. he suffered a viral attack on his nervous system particularly his hippocampus and developed antrograde and retrograde amnesia. he could not recall many memories before 1985

Question 30

what parts of LTM did CW have problems with

Answer 30

he had problems with his semantic and episodic memory. but his procedural memory was fine as he was still able to perform complex piano pieces

Question 31

what were the SPE memories according to Clive Wearing’s case

Answer 31

semantic - he doesnt remember the names of his children
episodic - severely impaired lacking the ability to create new episodic memories
procedural - remains largely intact because of music ability

Question 32

what were the similarities between HM and Clive Wearing’s case

Answer 32

both CW and HM had great difficult recalling events that happened to them in the past. but their semantic memories were relatively unaffected. their procedural memories were also intact

Question 33

what are the limitations of the research into long term memory

Answer 33

research into the different types of LTM have typically been conducted on individual patients. the research into CW are highly detailed and provide a lot of information but are fundamentally isolated cases of one individual’s long term memory damage. this is a weakness because the findings cannot be generalised beyond the research. it would be inappropiate to assume that everyone’s LTM is formed in the same way based on evidence of two case studies. one person’s response may not be typical of everyone elses.