Types of LTM Flashcards
What is episodic memory?
-Episodic memory is a person’s unique memory of a specific event, so it will be different from someone else’s recollection of the same experience.
-The memories of events are created as LTMs and can later be retrieved for conscious inspection.
- Episodic memories have three elements: details of the event,
context and emotion.
- Using episodic memories means that we are consciously aware of
them, this means that they are declarative.
e.g first kiss
What is semantic memory?
Semantic memory is a structured record of facts, meanings, concepts and knowledge about the external world that we have acquired. Often referred to as general knowledge.
- Semantic memories often begin as episodic memories - we learn new facts or concepts from our experiences. There is typically a gradual transition from episodic to semantic memory:
= in which episodic memory reduces its sensitivity and association to particular events, so that the information can be stored as general
knowledge.
- This factual knowledge is shared with others and independent of personal experience and of the spatial/temporal context in which it was acquired.
-We are conciously aware of them.
=grass is green
What is procedural memory?
Procedural memory is the part of the LTM that is responsible for knowing how to perform certain procedures, also known a motor-skills.
Repetition and practice improve the performance of a procedure.
(Musicians and professional athletes are said to excel, in part, because of their superior ability to form procedural memories.)
Procedural memory is also important in language development, as it allows a person to talk without having to give much thought to proper grammar and syntax.
Using procedural memories does not require conscious awareness they become almost instinctual actions when we need them.
Procedural memories are not declarative.
A03 - Case study support for seperate LTMS
-Support for the theory that LTM types are separate, independent entities comes from Milner’s case study of HM.
- After the removal of his hippocampi, HM was unable to form many long-term memories.
-However, over 3 days, HM was able to improve a procedural memory for a mirror-drawing task, as well as his ability to complete unfinished drawings-
-HM could not recall ever having done the tasks.
-This shows that the formation of procedural
memories is distinctly different from the formation of episodic and semantic memories.
-However, caution should be given to using these findings as conclusive evidence, as case
studies are unique insights and cannot be generalised to the wider population.
A03 - Brain Scans
-Support for different types of LTM comes from brain scan research that shows that different areas of the brain are active when the different types of LTM are active.
-Episodic memory is associated with the hippocampus and parts of the temporal and frontal lobes.
-Procedural memory activation is associated with the cerebellum, which is involved in the control of the
fine motor skill.
-According to PET scans, there was much more activation in the left inferior prefrontal cortex when completing a semantic task.
- This suggests that the three types of LTM are separate and are found in different parts of the brain, supporting Tulving’s theory.
A03 - Interactions between LTM types
-Even though the three LTM types are usually considered to be independent of one another,
many everyday tasks need there to be interaction between them.
- For example, when driving a car, you may use both semantic, knowledge of the route and procedural knowledge for performing the driving action and you may have an episodic memory of having done the
journey previously.
-Hence, distinguishing between types of LTMs is clouded by their interaction, making experiments to assess their independence challenging.
