Memory - Processes: Different types of memory

Question 1

What is LTM? ( Long Term Memory )

Answer 1

These are memories that last a week, month, year or even a lifetime. There are three types of LTM.

Question 2

What are the three types of LTM ( long term memory )

Answer 2

Episodic memory - Memory for events from your life and what you have done.
For example, your birthday party when you were 10

Semantic memory - Memory about what things mean (your own encyclopaedia).
For example, knowing that the capital of France is Paris

Procedural memory - Episodic/semantic memories are called declarative memories because they need conscious recall.
Procedural memory doesn’t need conscious recall so is called non-declarative

Question 3

Specific locations in the brain

Answer 3

A strength of this research is that brain scans show that different types of LTM relate to different brain locations.
For example, episodic memory is found in the right prefrontal cortex.
This shows that there are different types of LTM

Question 4

Declarative and non-declarative

Answer 4

Episodic/semantic memories are called declarative memories because they need conscious recall.
Procedural memory doesn’t need conscious recall so is called non-declarative.

Question 5

Amnesic patients

Answer 5

This research is supported by case studies of amnesic patients.
For example, Clive Wearing lost most of his episodic memory but not his procedural memory as he could still play the piano.
This again shows that there are different types of LTM

Question 6

Extra: It’s not that simple

Answer 6

A weakness is that distinctive types of LTM are difficult to separate.
There isn’t a clear difference between episodic and semantic memories because memories are usually a mixture of types.
Therefore having separate types of LTM may be an oversimplification