Types Of LTM Flashcards
What are the types of LTM
Eposidic
Semantic
Procedural
What is the episodic LTM
This is refers to our ability to recall events (episodes) from our lives. For example, what i ate for dinner yesterday
These memories are complex:
They are time stamped meaning we can remember when they happened
They include several elements such as people who were there, the place it was at and objects that were there
They require conscious effort to recall events
What is semantic LTM
This refers to our memory of the world, which includes facts and meanings and understanding
Semantic memories aren’t times stamped meaning
They are less personal and more about the world
Semantic memory is constantly being added to
In comparison to episodic memory, semantic memory is less likely to be forgotten
What is procedural LTM
This refers to our memory for actions and skills
After practice we can recall these memories without conscious awareness or effort, for example driving a car
Procedural memories are difficult to describe to someone else
Strength evaluations
P- supporting research from case studies such as HM (brain damage)
E- HM struggled to recall events that happened to him in his past (episodic memory affected) however his semantic memories were unaffected as well as his procedural memory being unaffected.
E-suggests that there are different memory stores in the LTM, so if one store is affected then others might be unaffected
HOWEVER, due to using these case studies the psychologist is unaware of their memory before the brain damage, meaning these studies are limited to what they can tell us about the change in memory
P- understanding different types of LTM allows psychologists to help people with memory problems.
E- memory loss due to old age usually effects episodic memory, and its harder for them to recall memories of recent experiences although past episodic memories are still intact. A psychologist devised an intervention to improve episodic memories, and when compared to a control group, it was shown to have worked significantly.
E- distinguishing between types of LTM enables specific treatments to be developed
P- more supporting research though illnesses
E- Alzheimer’s is a type of dementia that damages connections of neurones in the brain. Therefore they can form new episodic memories, but can form new semantic memories
E- this suggests that episodic memories are different to procedural memories
Limiation evaluations
P- conflicting research findings
E- there has been disagreements about the locations of the LTM stores, such as one psychologist identifying that the semantic memory was in the left prefrontal cortex and the episodic memory was on the right prefrontal cortex, while another psychologist said that they were the other way around
E- poor reliability about the location of LTM stores, challenging any neurophysiological evidence.
