Types of LTM

Question 1

Tulving (1985)

Stores

Answer 1

• Episodic memory.
• Semantic memory.
• Procedural memory.

Question 2

Tulving (1985)

Episodic Memory

Answer 2

• LTM store for personal events.
• Events are timestamped.
• Memories must be retrieved consciously.

Question 3

Tulving (1985)

Semantic Memory

Answer 3

• LTM store for general knowledge.
• Facts about words and concepts, without context.
• Memories must be retrieved consciously.

Question 4

Tulving (1985)

Procedural Memory

Answer 4

• LTM store for how to do things.
• Memory of learned skills (eg. reading).
• Recalled unconsciously.

Question 5

Tulving (1985)

Clive Wearing

Case Study

Answer 5

• Severe amnesia from viral infection, damaging the hippocampus and associated areas.
• Recalls how to play the piano, but not his musical education.
• Remembers aspects of his life (eg. knows he has children, but can’t recall their names).

Question 6

Tulving (1985) Evaluation

Clinical Evidence

Strength

Answer 6

• Episodic memory in both HM and Wearing was severely impaired.
• Semantic and procedural memories were unaffected.

Supports the idea that there are different memory stores in LTM.

Question 7

Tulving (1985) Evaluation

Counterpoint

Clinical Evidence

Answer 7

• Limitation: lack of control.
• Researcher could not control events before, during or after the event/injury.
• Difficult to judge how great the change was.

Lack of control limits what clinical studies can tell us about different types of LTM.

Question 8

Tulving (1985) Evaluation

Conflicting Neuroimaging Evidence

Limitation

Answer 8

• Buckner and Peterson (1996) reviewed evidence.
• Concluded semantic memory is located to the left of the prefrontal cortex; episodic memory is to the right.
• Tulving (1994) suggests the left is associated with encoding, and the right with retrieving, episodic memories.

There is little agreement on the location of semantic and episodic memory.

Question 9

Tulving (1985)

Real-world Application

Strength

Answer 9

• Belleville (2006) revised an intervention to improve episodic memories in older people.
• After training, participants performed better on memory tests than the untrained participants (control group).

Shows that distinguish between types of LTM enables specifc treatment to be developed.