Types of LTM Flashcards
Episodic memory
The ability to recall events from our lives (trips to dentist/shop)
‘TIME STAMPED’ and includes several elements (time, place, people) all made into single memory
Needs conscious effort to recall
Semantic memory
LTM store containing FACTS and KNOWLEDGE (taste of food, word meanings)
IMMENSE collection so needs deliberate efforts to recall
Procedural memory
LTM = for our knowledge on how to do things such as learned skills (driving a car)
Recall WITHOUT deliberate effort
What happened to Clive Wearing
Suffered from AMNESIA (caused by viral infection that attacked his brain - damaged hippocampus & associated areas)
Who was Clive Wearing before the infection
A world-class musician. He can still play piano and conduct a choir but CANNOT remember his musical education. He can also remember some aspects of his life before infection
What are some examples of the things he can(not) remember
Clive knows that he has children from an earlier marriage but doesn’t remember their names
He recognises his 2nd wife (Deborah) but when he greets her he does so as if he hasn’t seen her in years even though she may have just left room for few minutes
Which types of LTM did Clive have
EPISODIC memory = severely impaired
Had trouble recalling past events however his SEMANTIC memory = relatively unaffected (still understood meanings of words…)
PROCEDURAL memory = intact (knew how to tie shoelaces, walk, speak AND read music, sing, play piano)
What did Tulving say - in relation to Clive’s case
There are DIFFERENT MEMORY STORES in LTM
One store can be damaged but other stores UNAFFECTED
Clear evidence that not only are these memory types different - but they are stored in different PARTS of the brain
Who did a study relating to brain scans
Tulving et al. (1994)
Procedure of Tulving et al. study (1994)
P’s performed diff memory tasks while brains = scanned using a PET scanner
What did Tulving et al. find from their study
Episodic and semantic memories were both recalled from an area of brain called PREFRONTAL CORTEX
PFC = divided into 2 - one on each hemisphere of brain
LEFT PFC = recalled SEMANTIC memories
RIGHT PFC = recalled EPISODIC memories
What is a strength of Tulving et al.’s experiment
It supports view that there’s a physical reality to the diff types of LTM within brain.
What did Belville et al. demonstrate
Episodic memories could be improved in older people who had mild cognitive impairment.
The TRAINED P’s did better on a test of episodic memory after training than a CONTROL group
What is episodic memory usually affected by
Mild cognitive impairment - so BENEFIT being able to distinguish between types of LTM
Enables specific treatments to be developed
What is there a big lack of in clinical studies
CONTROL of all sorts of different VARIABLES
