Types of Long Term Memory

Question 1

LTM

Answer 1

Tulving (1985) proposed that there are three stores within the LTM.

Question 2

Three stores within LTM

Answer 2

Episodic, semantic, procedural

Question 3

Episodic memory

Answer 3

Refers to the ability to recall events from our lives. Record of individual experiences. Stores information about how memories link together as a memory of a single element will include several elements interwoven to produce a single memory. They are time stamped so can remember when and what happened when they learnt it. Declarative memory which involves conscious recollection and is put into words faster.

Question 4

Semantic memory

Answer 4

Contains shared knowledge of the world of an impressive number of concepts. It is less personal and more facts we all share. A collection of memory that is constantly being added to. Not time stamped. Less vulnerable to distortion and forgetting than episodic. It is also declarative.

Question 5

Procedural memory

Answer 5

Memory for actions or skills. Recall memories without conscious effort or awareness which is non-declarative memory. The ability to do this becomes automatic through practise and you might find it hard to explain to others. Most resistant to forgetting.

Question 6

Strength (S)

Answer 6

Research support.
HM’s episodic memory was impaired due to brain damage but semantic relatively unaffected as still understood meaning of words. For example, he knew what a dog was but could not recall stroking a dog.
Supports idea different LTM stores and that they are in separate parts of the brain as if they were located together then both would have been damaged.
However… idiographic approach so cannot be generalised.

Question 7

Weakness

Answer 7

Conflicting research.
Buckner and Peterson reviewed evidence over the location of episodic and semantic memory and concluded semantic left and episodic right of prefrontal cortex but other research contradicts this suggesting they are on other sides.
Challenges any neurophysiological evidence that supports the types of memory due to poor agreement over location. Suggests maybe inaccurate as can’t agree over location so may be that the description is inaccurate.
However… brain very complex could mean not restricted to one place and different in each person as well as may have been looking for different characteristics of it which is why they got different results.

Question 8

Strength (U)

Answer 8

Understanding them is very useful.
Example is as people age experience loss of memory but research has shown this to specifically be episodic.
Distinguishing allows for a better understanding which could mean treatment is more precise and so more effective.
Furthermore.. Belleview et al devised an intervention to improve episodic memory which was successful.