Tulving's Model of the LTM

Question 1

Long term memory

Answer 1

• The permanent memory store
• Coding is mainly semantic (meaning)
• It has unlimited capacity and can store memories for up to a lifetime

Question 2

Episodic memory

Answer 2

• A long term memory system for personal events and contains when the event occurred and the people, objects and places involved

Question 3

Semantic memory

Answer 3

• A long term memory system that you get information or meaning out of

Question 4

Explanation of semantic memory
(Nature of memory, Time referencing, Spatial referencing, Retrieval, Forgetting)

Answer 4

• (Nature of memory) It contains a lot of information
• (Time referencing) The memories are detached from any temporal link, it can be recalled without time cues as the order doesn’t matter much
• (Spatial referencing) It can be input in a fragmented way and we can piece together factual information which has been learned at different time
• (Retrieval) The recall is not dependent on the context of learning as it based of inferences, generalisation and logical thought
  The memory is not affected by retrieval
• (Forgetting) The memories are robust

Question 5

Explanation of episodic memory
(Nature of memory, Time referencing, Spatial referencing, Retrieval, Forgetting)

Answer 5

• (Nature of memory) It has events as they progress
• (Time referencing) Memories of events are recalled in chronological order
• (Spatial referencing) The memory is continuous over a time frame as it contains all your experiences together
• (Retrieval) The recall is dependent on context in which the event was learnt or experienced, context aids the retrieval of the memory
• (Forgetting) Memories can be more easily changed/transformed

Question 6

Strength of Tulving Model of LTM

Answer 6

• One strength of Tulving Model of LTM is that there is evidence from brain damaged patients which supports Tulving’s idea that there are two separate stores in the LTM
• KC suffered brain damaged after a motorbike accident and this left him unable to form or recall memories of personal events in his life, which is part of episodic memory, however he was able to recall factual information, which is part of semantic memory
• This case study supports the idea of separate long term stores but also indicates that these may be stored in different regions of the brain

Question 7

Weakness of Tulving Model of LTM

Answer 7

• One weakness of Tulving Model of LTM is that case studies like Clive Wearing demonstrate that Tulving’s model of only two LTM stores is inaccurate
• Clive Wearing was unable to produce memories of episodic events, still had some knowledge of facts such as his name and facts about his life and his wife however he was still able to play the piano and other musical instrument
• A skill to play an instrument is not a episodic or semantic memory. Therefore, there must be a third long term memory storage for practised skilled