Memory: LTM

Question 1

Who first proposed the idea that the MSM’s view of the LTM was too simplistic and that there are actually 3 LTM stores, each containing different types of information?

Answer 1

Endel Tulving (1985) - cognitive psychologist

Question 2

What were the 3 LTM stores proposed by Tulving?

Answer 2

Episodic, semantic and procedural

Question 3

What is episodic memory?

Answer 3

• A LTM store for personal events.
• It includes memories of when events occurred (they are time-stamped) and will include several elements, for example the people, objects, places and behaviours involved.
• Memories from the episodic memory store have to be retrieved consciously and with effort.

Question 4

What is semantic memory?

Answer 4

• A LTM store for our knowledge of the world.
• This includes facts and our knowledge of what words and concepts mean.
• It is less personal than the memories in episodic memory and is also less vulnerable to distortion and forgetting.
• These memories are not time-stamped.
• These memories also usually need to be recalled deliberately.

Question 5

What is procedural memory?

Answer 5

• A LTM store for our knowledge of how to do things.
• This includes memories of learned skills, such as riding a bike.
• We usually recall these memories without making a conscious effort as, after some time, they happen automatically.

Question 6

Evaluate the similarities and differences between the 3 LTM stores (AO3)

Answer 6

• All three memory stores are types of LTM stores.
• A similarity between episodic and semantic memory is that they both need to be recalled deliberately with conscious effort. This is different to procedural memory, in which memories are usually recalled automatically without conscious effort.
• A difference between episodic memory and the other two memory stores, is that episodic memories are time-stamped. We can remember when events happened to us but not when we learnt certain facts or skills.
• A difference between episodic and semantic memory is that semantic memories are less personal and also less vulnerable to distortion that episodic memories.
• A similarity between semantic and procedural memory is that both include memories we had to learn or be taught. This is different to episodic memory as nobody teaches you the events that happen in your life, however you are taught facts about the world, and how to do certain skills.

Question 7

Describe and explain the strengths of Tulving’s proposal that there are 3 LTM stores.

Answer 7

• There is clinical evidence in support of Tulving’s proposal: The evidence from the case studies of HM and Clive Wearing both showed that their episodic memories were severely impaired due to brain damage, but their semantic and procedural memories were unaffected. They both still understood the meaning of words. Their procedural memories were also intact. They both still knew how to walk and speak, and Clive Wearing (who used to be a professional musician) still knew how to read music and play the piano. This evidence supports Tulving’s view that there are different LTM stores.
• Another strength is that understanding types of LTM allows psychologists to help people with memory problems. For example, as people age, they sometimes experience memory loss. However research has shown that this tends to be specific to episodic memory. Sylvie Belleville came up with the idea of an intervention to improve episodic memories in older people. The trained participants performed better on a test of episodic memory after training than a control group. This shows that distinguishing between different types of LTM enables specific treatments to be developed.

Question 8

Describe and explain the limitations of Tulving’s proposal that there are 3 LTM stores.

Answer 8

• Despite the clinical evidence in support of Tulving’s proposal, a huge limitation of studying people with brain damage is that the studies often lack control of variables. The researcher has no way of controlling what happened to the participant before or during the brain injury and also cannot know fully what the individual’s memory was like before the damage, so cannot judge exactly how much worse it is afterwards. This lack of control limits what clinical studies can tell us about different types of LTM.
• Another limitation is that there are conflicting research findings linking types of LTM to areas of the brain. For example Randy Buckner and Steven Peterson reviewed evidence and concluded that semantic memory is located in the left side of the prefrontal cortex and the episodic memory on the right. However other research suggests the opposite. This challenges any neuropsychological evidence to support types of memory as there is poor agreement on where each type might be located.