Types Of Long-Term Memory Flashcards
What is meant by the terms explicit and implicit in relation to LTM?
Implicit = does not involve conscious effort to retrieve, previous experiences aid the performance of a task
Explict = involves conscious effort to retrieve previous experiences
(through time and practice, explicit retrieve can become implicit)
What is the episodic LTM?
Stores information about event memories that we have experiences in our lives.
Involves conscious thought and is declarative. (I.e. first day of school)
What is semantic memory?
stores knowledge information about the world, meaning of words as well as general knowledge.
Involves conscious thought
What is procedural LTM?
responsible for knowing how to do things (i.e. memory of motor skills).
Does not involve conscious thought.
What are the positive evaluation points for LTM?
- The proposal that there are different LTM areas is supported by research
e. g. Tulling
-good face validity
What are the negative evaluation points for LTM?
- criticized for being reductionist to propose that there are only 3 types of LTM and that each type is strored in a distinct brain area
- supporting research has artificial environment so low mundane realism and ecological validity
How is the strength of episodic memories influenced?
by emotions present at the time a memory is coded, for example, traumatic events are often well recalled due to their high emotional content
also by the degree of processing information at coding, with highly processed episodic events recalled more easily
What area of the brain is associated with initial coding of episodic memories
the prefrontal cortex
What was Tulving’s aim of his research ?
to investigate possible differences in processing of episodic and semantic memory tasks
What was the procedure of Tulving’s research?
6 volunteers were injected with a small amount of radioactive gold, which was scanned to detect its location
P’s performed 8 trails, involving 4 semantic and 4 episodic topics in randomised order
at a signal from a researcher, a P would begin thinking about a topic, the gold injected in after 60 seconds and the scanning occurring about 8 seconds later
What were the findings of Tulving’s research?
There was greater activation in the frontal lobes of the cortex during thinking about episodic memories
There was greater activation in the posterior region of the cortex when retrieving semantic information
What area of the brain is associated with procedural LTM
mainly with the neocortex of primary motor cortex
