tulving's long term memory Flashcards
what is meant by a ‘semantic memory’?
general knowledge and facts
- origin of forming the memory not recalled
- no personal or temporal link
how are semantic memories encoded?
acoustically
how are semantic memories retrieved?
- occurs before learning
- doesn’t rely on cues
how are semantic memories forgotten?
strong memory trace and less susceptible to change
what is meant by an ‘episodic memory’?
events that we experience
- personal / temporal links
where are episodic memories processed?
hippocampus
where are semantic memories processed?
frontal and temporal cortexes
how are episodic memories forgotten?
failure to retrieve, distorted or muddled with similar memories
what is a weakness of tulvings LTM theory (PEE)?
- HM
a weakness of Tulving’s LTM theory is the opposing evidence from HM. this is because when he was asked to draw a star, he improved everyday but didn’t recall ever drawing one. therefore, this suggests that there is a third LTM store (procedural) which involves skills you do not have to think about to carry out.
what is a strength & weakness of Tulving’s LTM theory in terms of validity and reliability? (PEE)
a strength of Tulving’s LTM theory is that the research is based off case studies. this means that it studies participants in their natural environment so reflects memory in real life. therefore, this increases the validity. however, due to being case studies which investigate brain damaged, vulnerable patients, this would be unethical to replicate. therefore, this reduces the reliability.
what are the applications of Tulving’s theory of LTM?
a strength of tulvings ltm theory is the practical applications. for example, it states that in order for episodic memories to be retrieved, cues should be formed at the time of encoding. therefore, this applies to eye witness testimony. in order to gain a more accurate EWT, police should use cues such as contextual reinstatement in cognitive interviews where witnesses can re imagine the scene of the crime.
what is a strength & weakness of the theory in terms of reliability and validity?
a strength of tulvings ltm theory is that it has high reliability. for example, memory is often related to the hippocampus which is studied using brain imaging. brain scans are credible, objective measures as they can be checked by multiple researchers. however, it is suggested that the medial temporal lobe is used for both episodic and semantic memories. therefore this suggests that there is not much of a separation between the two stores which reduces the theory’s validity.
