TYPES of LTM:episodic semantic and procedural Flashcards
What does episodic memory do?
It stores personal experiences(episodes).For example, your most recent visit to the dentist, the psychology class you had yesterday, the breakfast you ate this morning.
What are episodic memory’s described as?
Complex-They are time-stamped, you remember when they happened and how they relate in time.They involve people, places, objects and behaviours,all are woven into one memory.Conscious effort is needed to recall them.
What does semantic memory do?
Semantic memory-a combination of general knowledge and definitions of words.E.g. knowledge of such things=how to apply to university, the taste of an orange, and the meaning of words.
Are semantic memory’s time stamped ?
No, They are not time-stamped, e.g. we don’t remember when we first heard about Frozen.They are less personal than episodic memories and more about facts/knowledge we all share.
What are procedural memories?
These are memories of how we do things,actions and skills.For example, driving a car or playing table tennis.
How does recall occur in procedural memory?
Without effort-These skills/actions become automatic with practice.Explaining the step-by-step procedure (e.g. changing gear) is hard because vou do it without conscious recall.
What two case study’s supports different types of LTM?
Clinical studies of amnesia (HM and
Clive Wearing) Episodic memory was affected,both had difficulty recalling events in the past.Semantic memories were unaffected (e.g. HM didn’t need to be told what a dog is).Procedural memories were intact (e.g.Clive still played the piano).This suggests there are different memory stores in LTM because one store can be damaged but other stores are unaffected.
Why do neurophysiological evidence on types of memory clash with types of LTM?
Researchers agree that the left PFC is involved in semantic memory and the right PFC in episodic memory.But,Tulving et al. (1994) concluded that the left PFC also plays a role in episodic memory.This challenges neurophysiological evidence on types of memory as there isn’t universal agreement.
How does findings about the types of LTM help people with memory problems?
Memory loss in old age is specific to episodic memory- it’s harder to recall memories of recent experiences but past episodic memories are intact.Belleville et al.
(2006) made an intervention for older people targeting episodic memory, it improved their memory compared to a control group. This shows that distinguishing between types of LTM enables specific treatments to be developed.
What’s the debate around episodic and semantic memory ?
Tulving et al(2002)-episodic memory is a ‘specialised subcategory of semantic’-an intact semantic memory can function with a damaged episodic but not vice versa.But Hodges and Patterson (2007) found that some patients with Alzheimer’s disease can form new episodic memories but not semantic ones.Episodic and semantic memories are closely related but ultimately different forms of LTM.
