MEMORY - types of long term memory

Question 1

who proposed the different types of memory stores?

Answer 1

Tulving (1985) - found that LTMS is too complex

Question 2

what is episodic memory?

Answer 2

• LTM for personal events
• memories of events, people, object, places, behaviour
• retrieved consciously and with effort

Question 3

what is semantic memory?

Answer 3

• LTMS for the knowledge of the world
• facts we all share
• knowledge of what words and concepts mean
• need to be recalled deliberately

Question 4

what is procedural memory?

Answer 4

• LTMS for our knowledge of how to do things
• includes memories of learned skills
• usually recall these memories without making a conscious or deliberate effort.

Question 5

Give strengths of the different types of LTM.

Answer 5

+ clinical evidence - HM + Clive Wearing
episodic memories of both men were damaged but they still recalled semantic memory. eg they understood words. procedural memories were also intact. eg they knew how to walk and speak.
= this supports Tulving’s view that there are different memory stores in the LTM

+ RWA - understanding types of LTM allows psychologists to help people with memory problems.
eg when you get older you lose your episodic memory (memory loss)
Belleville et al (2006) = made a intervention to improve episodic memories in older people.
= Distinguishing different types of LTM enables specific treatments to be developed.

Question 6

Give limitations of different types of LTM.

Answer 6

• clinical studies lack control variables - what happened before or after brain injury was not controlled. Researcher has no knowledge of individuals memory before the damage = difficult to judge due to lack of control, limiting what clinical studies can tell us about different LTMS.
• conflicting research findings = some research shows that semantic memory is located on the left side of the prefrontal cortex and episodic memory is on the right. However other research = left prefontral cortex is linked with encoding of episodic memory.
  = challenges any neuropsychological evidence to support types of memory as there is poor agreement where each type might be located.