Types of long-term memory Flashcards
What did Tulving propose as the types of LTM?
Episodic, semantic and procedural
What is episodic memory?
It contians memories of personal events, including the memories of when events occured and the people, objects, places and behaviours. Memories have to be retrieved consciously, such as what happened last time you went to the dentist.
What is semantic memory?
A memory store for the knowledge of the worls, including facts and our knowledge of what words and concpts mean. Memories have to be recalled deliberately and are not normally time-stamped. Some examples are knowledge of love or animals.
What is procedural memory?
Our memory for knowlegde of how to do things, including learned skills. We can recall them without making a conscious effort and may find it hard to explain how to carry out the task. Some examples are driving a car or riding a bike.
What was the case study of Clive Wearing?
He had a viral infection which caused amnesia and resulted in him forgetting his childrens names but still remembering how to play the piano brilliantly. This supports the three types of LTM as his procedural memory was fine but his episodic memory wasn’t working.
What was the case study of Henry Molaison?
He had brain surgery to help his epilepsy but afterwards, he could not remember anything recently but could remember things from the past. This supports the separate stores of LTM.
What are the strengths of Tulving’s types of LTM?
There is clinical evidence from HM and CLive Wearing’s case studies which support the three types of LTM
There is neuroimaging evidence from brain scans which found that episodic and procedural memories were found in the prefrontal cortex and they were from separate sides, showing there is a physical basis for different types of LTM.
There is real life application in helping patients by developing specific treatments for different parts of LTM.
What are the weaknesses of Tulving’s types of LTM?
There is problems with case studies, such as the lack of control and the abnormal brain structures, decreasing the evidence for the three types of LTM.
Cohen and Squire proposed two types of LTM, meaning Tulving’s theory may be outdated and there are conflicting ideas.
