Types Of LTM Flashcards
What are the 3 types of LTMS
Episodic memory
Semantic memory
Procedural memory
Outline and describe the episodic memory
Our ability to recall events from our lives
Complex memories and and time stamped
One memory consists of several elements like people and places and objects
You have to make a conscious effort to recall these memories but can do it quickly
Outline and describe semantic memory
Our knowledge of the world
Memories of factual information
This memory has been likened to a combination of an encyclopaedia and dictionary
Not time stamped and less personal
Constantly being added to
Outline and describe procedural memory
Our memory for actions and skills
We can recall these memories without conscious awareness or a great deal of effort
Who proposed these and why
Tulving realised that the multi store model view of ltm was too simplistic and inflexible to proposed 3 ltm stores
He said although they are stored separately, they are still interconnected and can be formed at the same time
Evaluation + : clinical evidence
Case studies of HM and Clive Wearing show that their episodic memories were severely impaired due to amnesia, while their semantic and procedural memories remained intact. This supports Tulving’s theory of distinct memory stores in LTM, as different types of memory can be damaged without affecting others, indicating they are stored in different brain areas.
Evaluation +: real life application
Identifying different types of LTM helps develop targeted treatments. Belleville et al. (2006) showed that training can improve episodic memory in older adults with mild cognitive impairment, highlighting the benefit of distinguishing between memory types for effective interventions.
Evaluation - : 3 types of LTM or 2?
Cohen and Squire (1980) disagree with Tulving’s three types of LTM, arguing that episodic and semantic memories are stored together in one declarative memory store, while procedural memories are non-declarative.
Evaluation - : case studies
Ungeneralisable as they focus on the experience of one person and therefore doesn’t represent the memory of the wider populations so cannot draw broad conclusions
