Yellow Pack 3 Flashcards
Describe Tulving’s explanation of LTM (4)
- Tulving proposed that LTM could be divided into episodic memory and semantic memory.
- Semantic memory stores facts and knowledge representing a mental encyclopaedia.
- Episodic memory stores personal experiences about events that occur in our lifetime representing a mental diary.
- Tulving also said despite the two systems possibly overlapping, they can be treated as separate stores.
WHAT IS THE SEMANTIC MEMORY?
WHERE FACTS AND KNOWLEDGE ARE STORED
WHAT IS THE EPISODIC MEMORY?
WHERE PERSONAL MEMORIES ABOUT EVENTS ARE STORED
Name the 5 ways in which semantic and episodic memory differ.
• the nature of stored memories
• time referencing
•the nature of associations between memories held in each store
• the nature of retrieving or recalling memories held in each store
• the independence of each store.
Tulving said despite this and the two systems possibly overlapping, they can be treated as separate stores
Briefly describe the differences between semantic and episodic memory in terms of retrieving memories
•Retrieval of semantic memories does not depend on the context in which the information was learned
•Whereas retrieval of episodic memories does - we mentally re-experience a moment in the past to
retrieve information about it.
•Retrieving semantic memories leaves the memory trace relatively unchanged but retrieving episodic memories changes the memory trace and it transforms.
Briefly describe the differences between semantic and episodic memory in terms of the nature of memory
- Semantic memory represents a mental encyclopedia, storing information about the world as an organised body of knowledge.
- Where as episoic memory is a mental diary, receiving and storing information about events or experiences that occur in our lifetime.
Briefly describe the differences between semantic and episodic memory in terms of time referencing
- Semantic memories are detached from any time reference. Factual information can be recalled without linking it to when it was learned.
- Episodic memories are dependent on time referencing, as they are linked to the time they happened.
Briefly describe the differences between semantic and episodic memory in terms of spatial referencing
Input into semantic memory can be fragmented. Where as input in episodic memory is continuous.
Briefly describe the differences between semantic and episodic memory in terms of the independence of each store
•Semantic memory can
operate independently of episodic
memory.
•Where as Episodic memory needs
semantic memory as we need to
be able to draw on previous knowledge of objects, people and events in order to understand them.
Briefly describe the differences between semantic and episodic memory in terms of forgetting
When information is retrieved from the episodic memory, it is vulnerable to being chnaged whereas in semantic memory, the memroy trace is more robust and less susceptible to being changed.
Explain one piece of supporting evidence in favour of Tulving’s model
P: Support for Tulvings model can be
from the case study of KC.
E: KC had damaged his episodic memory following a motorcycle accident and he couldn’t recall any personal events from his life. However his semantic memory was in tact as he could recall facts. This supports the idea that there are 2 types of LTM memories.
Explain one piece of evidence which
argues against Tulving’s model of LTM?
P: A weakness of Tulving’s explanation is that H.M. and Clive Wearing both had brain damage that affected their ability to recall episodic memories but could remember how to carry out tasks such as playing the piano and learn new skills.
E: This suggests that there is another type of LTM. Tulving later added this and called it procedural memory. The original model may therefore be limited.
Give a breif description of the case study of KC
• Motorbike accident
(extensive brain damage)
• Retain semantic memory
• Could recall factual
information
• Damaged episodic memory
• Unable to recall events
Give one strength of the methodology used in Tulving’s model, explaining why it is a strength
• P: One strength of Tulving’s methodology is that there is a range of neuropsychological evidence to support it.
• E: For example, semantic retrieval uses the left hemisphere, whereas episodic memory retrieval uses the
right hemisphere. This supports the idea of two separate memories and gives the model scientific credibility.
Give one weakness of the methodology used in Tulving’s model, explaining why it is a weakness
P: A weakness of Tulving’s explanation is that experimental evidence for the idea of semantic and episodic memories is problematic.
E: It is difficult to separate the testing of semantic and episodic memories and methods of testing the two memories may lack validity.
For example learning a list of words can use both episodic (where and when the word was learned) and semantic features (Meaning of the word).
Desrcibe the applications of Tulving’s Theory of Long-term memory
• Knowing the relationship between semantic and episodic memory can be useful for aiding memory recall.
• For example, STRONG EPISODIC MEMORIES are easy to retrieve
• Therefore SEMANTIC KNOWLEDGE can be encoded as EPISODIC MEMORIES when using a MNEMONIC
• Mnemonic attaches semantic
knowledge into an imaginary story
• This is beneficial for exam revision for students.
Why are ink blots important in reconstructive memory research?
- How you see the ink blots is largely determined by your own experiences, interests, thoughts and moods.
- We use ‘EFFORT AFTER MEANING’ - we spend time trying to connect a neutral stimulus with some previous knowledge or experience.
- When we do this, it means that the stimulus can be assimilated and stored far easier.
Why did Bartlett use the War of the Ghosts story to investigate reconstructive memory
Bartlett used this story in his studies because…
•It was CULTURALLY UNFAMILIAR to participants
- It lacked any RATIONAL ORDER
- The DRAMATIC nature of the story would encourage VISUAL IMAGING
- The conclusion was SUPERNATURAL and Bartlett wanted to see how participants would perceive and imagine this.
What were the findings from the study using the War of the Ghosts
Bartlett found:
•The story became much SHORTER
•People used PHRASES FROM MODERN LIFE
•The story had more of an ORDER
•People CHANGED many words to MORE FAMILIAR WORDS e.g. ‘canoe’ -> ‘boat’, ‘hunting seals’ -> ‘fishing’
•Many people LEFT OUT THE PART ABOUT GHOSTS because they did not understand the role of them in the story. Either this or they RATIONALISED their presence in some way.
What are schemas?
Schemas are categories of stored knowledge of everything we know about something.
What is schema theory?
Bartlett argued that:
•We do not remember everything that we perceive.
•We need to draw on (use) the schemata that we have to fill in the gaps in our knowledge.
•This links back to the idea that recall of memory is an ACTIVE RECONSTRUCTION of an event influenced by:
-STORED KNOWLEDGE
-EXPECTATIONS
-BELIEFS
Mamie and Albert witnessed an incident where a man fell down the stairs at a shopping mall. He dropped a bag of shopping and all the contents fell out.
Using schema theory, suggest how Mamie and Albert may recall the scene differently. [4 marks]
P: According to schema theory, Mamie & Albert will have different schemas depending on their own personal experiences & expectations of a man falling with a bag.
E: Therefore Mamie may have a schema about the contents of the man’s shopping bag that is different from Albert’s.
P: Albert may have already witnessed a similar experience of someone falling down the stairs and hurting himself and therefore have a schema for this and remember the man actually hurting himself or not.
E: Mamie and Albert may also remember what the man fell down, for example Mamie may have a schema of a man falling down an escalator and remember that, whereas Albert may recall him falling down stairs.
Apply the issues and debate: Nature vs Nurture to the topic of reconstructive memory.
- Schemas are probably innate: people in different cultures use schemas to organise information (nature).
- However, the content of the schemas is influenced by our experiences (ie nurture)
Apply the issues and debate: Issues of Social Control to the topic of reconstructive memory.
It may be possible to deliberately influence people’s memories – for example through the use of leading questions.
Apply the issues and debate: Individual Differences to the topic of reconstructive memory.
Our own unique experiences will cause our schemas to be different
Apply the issues and debate: Psychology as a Science to the topic of reconstructive memory.
There is a lack of control and standardisation in Bartlett’s experiments – he bumped into a participant and asked them to recall the story – purely by chance! Qualitative data may be subjective.
Apply the issues and debate: Reductionism to the topic of reconstructive memory.
Bartlett’s theory is more holistic than the MSM or the WMM, as it doesn’t attempt to break memory down into its component parts.
Describe Bartlett’s idea of reconstructive memory
- Perception of something involves an active construction of what we think we see using what we already know. •Previous knowledge is used to interpret information so that it can be stored and record.
- Bartlett argued that we do not remember everything that we perceive so we need to draw on our schemas to fill in the gaps.
- Reconstructive memory is therefore the idea that memory is not really accurate being prone to distortion, rationalisation, transformation and simplification.
