types of long term memory

Question 1

what is episodic memory?

Answer 1

• memory for personal experiences
• 3 specific elements: event details, context, emotions
• the strength of the memory is dependent on the emotions at the time of coding
• explicit
• associated with the hippocampus

Question 1

what is semantic memory?

Answer 1

• memory for knowledge, facts and concepts
• not time stamped (not linked to a specific time or event)
• explicit
• associated with the temporal lobe

Question 2

what is procedural memory?

Answer 2

• memory of how to complete certain tasks/actions
• difficult to explain in words to someone
• often formed early in life and via repetition and practice
• implicit
• associated with the cerebellum and motor cortex

Question 3

give a strength of types of ltm
1/3

Answer 3

brain scans support the different types of ltm. research shows that different parts of the brain are active when accessing different areas of the brain. episodic memory is associated with the cerebellum, semantic with the temporal lobe and procedural with the cerebellum and motor cortex. supporting the idea our ltm is comprised of at least 3 categories

Question 4

give a strength of types of ltm
2/3

Answer 4

patient HM supports the distinction between implicit and explicit ltm. in surgery to treat his severe epilepsy his hippocampus was removed. HM was able to learn procedural (implicit) tasks, but not episodic or semantic (explicit). he was able to learn a mirror tracing task and retain this skill, but could not recall ever learning it. supports the fact their are seperate implicit and explicit types of ltm and that they are associated with different areas of the brain

Question 5

give a strength of types of ltm
3/3

Answer 5

patient PM supports the distinction between implicit and explicit ltm. he was a cellist who developed amnesia due to a virus. his episodic and semantic memory (explicit) was affected, but his procedural memory (implicit) for reading and playing music remained intact. PM demonstrates a distinction between implicit and explicit ltm, strengthening it as a theory

Question 6

give a limitation of types of ltm
1/1

Answer 6

the use of case studies to research types of ltm should be used with caution. the cause of their injury was random and so there was no way to scan their brains or test their memory before this damage was done, it is difficult to establish cause and effect and to determine what exactly was damaged and the effect this had. since case studies only research one person, they cannot be generalised to the wider population. therefore the supporting evidence for types of ltm is weakened