types of long term memory Flashcards
Who proposed the new LTM stores and why?
Tulving 1985
because he realised MSM view of long term memory was too simplistic and inflexible
what are the 3 types of long term memory
episodic
semantic
procedural
what is episodic memory?
explicit memory- recall events or “episodes” in the life of a person
—> involves personal events and experiences that have happened to an individual
is episodic memory time stamped?
YES and often linked to a specific location (i.e. you remember when and what happened)
example of episodic memories
- “when i was 5 years olds i fell off a tree in my nans garden” (time stamped and specific location)
- first day of school
- welcoming home a new pet as a child/ a week ago
other points on episodic memory?
- emotions felt at time of event may be remembered
- wider context of event may also be part of memory e.g. outfit worn, weather etc
- all elements e.g. details of event, ppl, context, emotions etc intertwine to provide a single memory
do you have to make a conscious effort to recall episodic memory’s?
yes
what part of brain is episodic memory associated with?
hippocampus
what is semantic memory?
recalled memories of facts and the meaning of the world around us
it’s explicit memory
are semantic memories time stamped?
no
examples of semantic memory
- knowledge on how to apply to uni
- what an orange tastes like
- knowing capital is London
- knowing daffodils are yellow
- knowing 2x10=20
what part of brain are semantic memories associated with?
temporal lobe
what can you say abt episodic vs semantic memories?
semantic memories often start as episodic
less vulnerable to forgetting and distortion than episodic memory
what is procedural memory?
- store how to carry out certain tasks/skills/actions e.g. how we do things
- implicit memory
do you need conscious thought to recall procedural memories?
only a little
explain procedural memory?
memory of the action etc is formed from lots of proactive and rehearsal —> ability becomes automatic—> hard to explain these things to someone else
examples of procedural memory?
- driving a car
swimming
riding a bike
writing
what part of brain is the procedural memory associated with?
cerebellum and motor cortex
eval point 1
support case study for evidence or idea of different memory stores as one can be damaged but others are unaffected
CASE STUDY of HM
- he suffered from epilepsy and had brain surgery to correct this removing his hippocampus
- his episodic memory was affected by brain damage but procedural and semantic memory weren’t
—> e.g. he could not recall stroking a dog but knew how to stroke a dog
eval point 2
supporting study for evidence of different memory stores
CASE STUDY of Clive Wearing
- clive had a virus of the brain which damaged his hippocampus etc
- he was able to retain procedural memory and knew how to play the piano but did not retain episodic memory (he couldn’t remember learning to play the piano)
issues with the supporting case studies
- clinical studies aren’t perfect and lack control of variables —> brain injuries of ppts = unexpected researcher had no way of controlling what happened to ppl before and after and during injury and had no knowledge on their brain before damage= don’t know how much worse it was after
- case studies aren’t generalisable
eval point 3
brain scans indicate that each type of LTM may be stored in different areas of the brain —> clinical evidence and high reliability
eval point 4
conflicting research findings linking types of LTM and areas of brain
—> Bucker and Peterson reviewed evidence regarding location of semantic and episodic memory —> they concluded semantic memory is on left side of prefrontal cortex and episodic on right
- yet Tulving study found the opposite —> challenges neuroimaging evidence to support types of memory
eval point 4
crossovers between episodic and semantic memories
e.g. learning my French at school = semantic and episodic = suggests LTM is actually more complex
