Types Of Long Term Memory Flashcards
What are the three types of long term memory?
Episodic, semantic, procedural
Explain episodic memory
Refers to our ability to recall events (episodes) from our lives. It includes memories of when the events occurred and of the people, places and behaviours involved. Memories from this store have to be retrieved consciously and with effort. These memories are complex
Explain semantic memory
This store contains our shared knowledge of the world and its concepts such as love. These memories aren’t time stamped and are less personal as it’s more about facts we all share. It contains an immense amount of material and it is constantly being added to. It is less vulnerable to distortion and forgetting
Explain procedural memory
Our memory for actions and skills, our knowledge of how we do things. We can recall these memories without conscious awareness or much effort. We may find these skills hard to explain to someone else
What is a strength of the types of long term memory? (Clinical evidence)
One strength is evidence from the case of HM. His episodic memory was severely impaired due to brain damage. However, his semantic memory was relatively unaffected. He could understand the meaning of words and how to walk and talk etc, but he couldn’t remember recent events. This is a strength because it supports the view that there are different memory stores in the long term memory and how one store can be damaged but it wont affect other stores.
What is a limitation of long term memory stores? (Lack of control)
One limitation of long term memory research is that studying patients with brain injuries can be flawed research. The researchers have no control over the unexpected injuries and what happens to the patient during or before the injury. The researcher has no knowledge of the patients memory before the injury. This is a limitation as it is difficult to judge the impact the injury had on LTM and so therefore the research lacks reliability
What is a limitation of long term memory stores? (Conflicting neuroimaging evidence)
One limitation is that there are conflicting research findings linking types of LTM to areas of the brain. For example, when evidence was reviewed regarding the location of somatic memory, psychologists concluded that it was in the left side of the prefrontal cortex. However, other research links the prefrontal cortex with encoding and retrieval of episodic memory. This is a limitation because it challenges any neurophysiological evidence that supports types of memory.
What is a strength of long term memory stores? (Real world application)
One strength is that understanding types of LTM allows psychologists to hep people with memory issues. For example, as people age, they experience memory loss. However, research has shown this is specific to episodic memory and it becomes harder to recall personal events that are recent but past memories remain in tact. When a study was performed in which training to improve episodic memory, in the test afterwards those who had the training did better than a control group. This is a strength as it shows that distinguishing between types of CTM allows treatments to be developed.
