Long Term Memory

Question 1

What is episodic memory?

Answer 1

• Recall events from our lives: personal memories with reference to time/people/objects/places/behaviour
• Retrieved consciously (explicit)

Question 2

What is semantic memory?

Answer 2

• Knowledge of the world: general knowledge of facts/how the world works
• Retrieved consciously (explicit)

Question 3

Procedural memory

Answer 3

• Knowledge of how to do things: learned practical skills (muscle memory)
• Can not be retrieved consciously (implicit)

Question 4

Brain scan evidence (evaluation)

Answer 4

• Tulving 1994
• Episodic memories found in hippocampi
• PET scans showed prefrontal cortex and cerebellum were involved in recalling semantic memories
• Procedural memories found in cerebellum
• Supports the view that there’s a physical realty to diff types of LTM, adding to validity of theory

Question 5

Blakemore’s case study of Clive Wearing (evaluation)

Answer 5

• 1980
• Clive damaged hippocampi with the virus, lost episodic but not semantic/procedural
• Supports that these types of LTM are located in diff areas of the brain (damage to one part of the brain only damages one type of LTM)
• Adds validity to theory

Question 6

Reductionsism (evaluation)

Answer 6

• The theory may be too simplistic
• May be more types of LTM (e.g a system that controls priming in recall)