Types of Long-Term Memory Flashcards
what is episodic memory?
it is the store of events from our lives such as birthdays etc. they are time-stamped and need a conscious effort to recall them.
what is semantic memory?
it stores our knowledge of the world and is things we know such as what a dog is or taste of orange.
it is not time-stamped and you don’t have to consciously recall it.
what is procedural memory?
it is where we store memories and actions and skills. memory of how we do things, eg riding a bike.
not consciously recalled and not time-stamped.
what is a strength of the types of LTM memory?
clinical studies of clive wearing show how he had difficulty in recalling past events, but semantic memories were unaffected. eg knew how to stroke dog but couldn’t remeber doing it half an hour ago. this supports the view that there are different types of memory stores.
what is another strength of LTM(brain scan)?
tulving et al had participants perform various memory tasks, while brain is scanned with pet scans. episodic and semantic in prefrontal cortex, semantic in left, episodic in right. shows physical reality in brain in different type of LTM- valditiy.
what is a limitation of types of LTM?
there are problems with clinical evidence like clive wearing about what happens when memory damaged. for example, there is a serious lack of control in different variables in studies. eg can’t control precise location of brain damage. so difficult to generalise from these case studies, so can’t determine exact nature of LTM.
