Long Term Memory Flashcards
What is different about tulvings idea of LTM?
Atkinson and Shiffrin’s (1968) multi-store model presented a unitary model of long-term memory. Most researchers now reject this unitary store view. Tulving (1985) suggests that LTM is a multi-part system made up of two or more sub-systems containing different types of information.
Summarise episodic memory
Episodic LTM is our ability to recall personal experiences and events (episodes) from our lives, e.g. birthdays, the breakfast you ate this morning etc. You have to make a conscious (explicit) effort to recall episodic memories. For example, you are able to search your memory of what happened when you went on holiday last year. Once you have done this though episodic memories are easy to verbalise.
A single episode can include people and places, objects and behaviours which are bound together in one memory episode. The strength of the episodic memory depends on the emotions present at the time a memory is coded. For example, traumatic events are often well recalled due to the high emotional content. These memories are complex and are ‘time-stamped’ so that you remember when they happened; recently, last week or this morning.
Summarise semantic memory .
This store contains facts about the world and is always being added to, e.g. the capital of England is London, the meanings of words, etc. This is also a conscious (explicit) type of memory in that you have to make an effort to recall how oranges taste. Semantic memory is your knowledge base for everything you know; it is less personal and is not time-stamped. For example, you know the capital of England is London but can’t remember when you first learned that.
Summarise procedural memory
This is a memory for actions and skills. We can recall these without conscious awareness (implicit). For example, knowing how to ride a bike depends on a developed skill which we automatically access from our procedural memory. We change gear without having to recall
how. Many procedural LTMs occur early in life, involving the learning of important motor skills like walking, dressing etc. However, it can be difficult to verbalise these skills.
What neuro imaging evidence is there to support LTM
Tulving et al (1989). In this research, participants were asked to perform various memory tasks whilst scanning their brains using PET scans. Tulving found that episodic memories were recalled from the pre-frontal cortex and semantic memories in the posterior region of the cortex. As the different types of LTM are found in different brain areas, this suggests that the different types of LTM are separate. Further to this, PET scans provide physical (empirical), objective neuro-imaging evidence. This strengthens the support for types of LTM as this type of evidence is free from bias and is considered to be highly scientifically credible.
What is real life application to support LTM?
LTM allows psychologists and clinicians to improve people’s lives. Episodic memory is the type of memory that is most often affected by mild cognitive impairments, which highlights the benefit of being able to distinguish between types of LTM. Belleville et al (2006) demonstrated that episodic memories could be improved in older people who had a mild cognitive impairment. Trained participants performed better on a test of episodic memory after training than a control group. This suggests that if psychologists know about the separate stores of LTM then treatment programmes can be developed to help these people, which means the contribution to the clinical world is highly valuable.
What is a limitation of LTM STORES?
subsystems theory is that the extent to which episodic and semantic memory stores are different is unclear. Although different brain systems are involved, there is a lot of overlap between the two systems. Because we acquire knowledge based on personal experiences, semantic memories (facts) can originate in episodic memories (events), therefore it is unclear if a semantic memory is just a gradual transformation from episodic memory rather than a separate system. As this is difficult to explain it questions the overall validity of the theory especially as researchers cannot be sure of the internal validity of the research that is presented as evidence.
What is the issue with validity when studying case studies in LTM?
limitation of the research into long-term memory is that it uses very small samples. Psychologists are very interested in studying cases studies of brain injury, like Clive Wearing, which have provided a lot of useful information about what happens when memory is damaged. But such clinical case studies are unique to one individual and this means that the findings from studying Clive wearing are difficult to generalise to the wider population. This is a problem because the evidence is not able to provide solid conclusions that can be applied to explain everybody’s long-term memory. Therefore, the research lacks population validity.
