Types of long-term memory

Question 1

what three LTM stores did Tulving (1985) propose

Answer 1

after realising that the MSM’s view of LTM was too simplistic and inflexible, Tulving proposed three LTM stores
episodic memory
semantic memory
procedural memory

Question 2

describe episodic memory

Answer 2

refers to our ability to recall events (episodes) from our lives, likened to a diary, e.g., a recent visit to the dentist, a class you had yesterday, complex memories
they are time-stamped, you remember when it happened as well as what happened
episodic memories also store info about how events relate to each other in time
memory of a single episode will include several elements, such as people and places
you make a conscious effort to recall episodic memories, you are aware that you are searching for your memory of what happened

Question 3

describe semantic memory

Answer 3

contains our shared knowledge of the world, likened to a combination of an encyclopaedia and a dictionary, e.g., how to apply to uni, what an orange tastes like, the meaning of words
these memories are not time-stamped, we do not remember when we first heard about the meaning, it is less personal and more general
Tulving states this store is less vulnerable to distortion and forgetting than episodic

Question 4

describe procedural memory

Answer 4

our memory for actions or skills, how we do things
we can recall these memories without conscious awareness or effort (eventually), e.g., driving a car
these skills can be hard to explain to someone else, the task may well become more difficult when you are trying to explain

Question 5

what is the clinical evidence for types of LTM stores (strength)

Answer 5

famous case studies of HM and clive wearing
episodic memory in both men was severely impaired due to brain damage, their semantic memories were relatively unaffected
they still understood the meaning of words
procedural memories also intact, e.g., how to walk and speak, clive wearing still knew how to play music
this shows that there are different memory stores in the LTM as one store can be damaged but others unaffected

Question 6

what is a counterpoint of the clinical evidence (limitation)

Answer 6

in clinical studies there is a lack of control of variables
the brain injuries experienced by participants were usually unexpected, the researcher has no knowledge of the individual’s memory before the damage
this means it is difficult to judge how much worse it is afterwards
this limits what clinical studies can tell us about different types of LTM

Question 7

what is the conflicting neuroimaging evidence (limitation)

Answer 7

buckner and petersen (1996) reviewed evidence regarding the location of semantic and episodic memory
concluded that semantic memory is in the left side of the prefrontal cortex and episodic memory on the right
however, other research links the left prefrontal cortex with encoding of episodic memory and the right prefrontal cortex with episodic retrieval
this challenges any neurophysiological evidence to support types of memory as there is poor agreement on where each type might be located

Question 8

what is the real-world application of understanding types of LTM (strength)

Answer 8

allows psychologists to help people with memory problems
e.g., as people age, they experience memory loss, research shows this to be specific to episodic memory, becomes harder to recall memories of personal events recently but past memories remain intact
interventions devised to improve episodic memory of older people
shows that distinguishing between types of LTM enables specific treatments to be developed