Types of Long Term Memory

Question 1

Episodic Memory

Answer 1

LTM store for personal events - includes memories of when the events occurred and of the people, objects, places and behaviours involved

Memories from this store has to be retrieved consciously and with effort

Question 2

Semantic Memory

Answer 2

LTM store for our knowledge of the world - includes facts and our knowledge of what words and concepts mean

Memories need to be recalled deliberately

Question 3

Procedural Memory

Answer 3

LTM store for our knowledge of how to do things - includes our memories of learned skills

Usually can recall without conscious or deliberate effort

Question 4

Evidence from case studies - AO3

Answer 4

HM (Henry Molaison) and Clive Wearing

• Episodic memory in both was severely impaired due to brain damage but semantic + procedural memory was unaffected

=> HM: remembers word meanings like the concept of dog but forgot smoking 1/2 hour before
=> Procedural memory was intact e.g could still walk talk - Clive could still read music sing + play piano

Suggests + supports Tulving’s view of different memory stores in LTM = 1 can be damaged and others unaffected

Question 5

COUNTERPOINT for Research Support - AO3

Answer 5

Lack of control variables
- HM and Clive’s injuries were unexpected so researchers can’t control what happened before or after
- No knowledge of their memory before damage
=> Makes it difficult to judge how much worse it is afterwards

Question 6

Conflicting Neuroimaging Evidence - AO3

Answer 6

LIMITATION

Buckner and Peterson (1996) - reviewed evidence of location of semantic + episodic memory and concluded S is the right of prefrontal cortex and E on left

HOWEVER… other research links areas for these stores to be in reverse

=> Challenges any neurophysical evidence to support types of memory

Question 7

Real World Aplication

Answer 7

Allows psychologists to help those with memory loss e.g when people age

Research has found this is specific to episodic memory with past ones staying intact

Slyvie Belleville et al (2006) - devised intervention to improve this w/ trained pps performing better on a E memory test

Shows that distinguishing between types of LTM enables specific treatments to be developed

Question 8

2 LTM not 3

Answer 8

LIMITATION: Cohen + Square (1980) disagreed with Tulving’s division of LTM into 3

=>argues episodic + semantic memories are stored together in declarative memory (consciously recalled)

Procederal = non-declarative