Memory - types of long term memory Flashcards
What is episodic memory?
This store has been likened to a diary of daily personal experiences (episodes)
Episodic memories are complex, why?
(3 things)
They are time stamped - you remember when they happened and how they relate in time
They involve several elements - people, places, objects and behaviours are woven into one memory
Have to make conscious effort to recall them
What is semantic memory?
Stores our knowledge of the world i.e facts
Why are semantic memories not time stamped?
They are less personal than episodic memories and more about facts/knowledge we all share
What is procedural memory?
Stores memories for actions and skills, memories of how we do things e.g driving a car
Why does recall occur without awareness or effort in procedural memory?
These skills/actions become automatic with practice
What are the two strengths for the types of long term memory?
Case study evidence of different types of LTM
Helping people with memory problems
One strength is case study evidence for differnet types of LTM
Clinical studies of amnesia (HM and Wearing) showed both having difficulty recalling events that happened to them in their pasts (episodic memory)
Semantic memories were relatively unaffected (HM did not need the concept of ‘dog’ explained to him) Procedural memories were also intact (e.g Wearing could still play the piano)
Supports the view that there are different memory store in LTM because one store can be damaged but other stores are unaffected
Counterpoint - researcher lack control in clinical case studies they…..
do not know anything about the person’s memory before brain damage
therfore clinical studies are limited in what they can tells us about different types of LTM
Another strength is helping people with memory problems….
Memory loss in old age is specific to episodic memory - harder to recall memories of recent experiences although past episodic memories are still intact
Belleville et al devised an intervention for older poeple targeting episodic memory which improved their memory compared to a control group
Shows distinguishing between types of LTM enables specific treatments to be developed
What is a limitation of long term memory?
Conflicting findings about types of LTM and brain areas
One limitation is conflicting findings about types of LTM and brain areas?
Buckner and Petersen reviewed research findings and concluded that semantic memory is located in the left prefrontal cortex and episodic with the right prefrontal cortex
But other studies e.g Tulving found that semantic memory was associated with the right prefrontal cortex and the revserse for the episodic memory
Challenges neurophysiological evidence to support types of memory as there is poor agreement on where each type located
