long term memory

Subdecks (1)

Cards (18)

  • who proposed 3 types of long term memory?
    tulving 1985
  • name 3 types of long term memory?
    1. episodic
    2. semantic
    3. procedural
  • define episodic memory?
    • refers to our ability to recall personal events (episodes) from our lives
  • name 2 features of episodic memory?
    1. memories are time stamped - rememeber when
    2. memory of single event includes several components - details such as time place who was there, context why, what happened before/after & associated emotions how you felt
    3. conscious effort - have to think to recall
  • define semantic memory?
    • refers to our general knowledge of world which is shared by everyone
    • vast collection of material which is constantly being added to
    • NOT TIME STAMPED
  • define procedural memory?
    • refers to our memory for skills, actions
    • knowing how to do things
    • aka muscle memory
    • no conscious effort required
    • automatic
  • 3 * of long term memory
    1. evidence from hm case study
    2. evidence from brain scans
    3. real life applications - belleville et al 2006
  • 2 X of long term memory?
    1. evidence that shows ltm made of 2 stores not 3 - cohen & squire 1980
    2. problems using case studies of individual with brain damage
  • * evidence to support from hm case study?
    • had suffered severe epilepsy & underwent major surgery to relieve epileptic fits
    • temporal lobes on both sides of brain were removed had difficulty recalling events that had happened to him in past
    • his semantic memories were intact & still knew how to walk/talk
    • shows there must be more than 1 store in ltm
    • shows how 1 store in ltm could be damaged but others are unaffected
  • * evidence from brain scans?
    • tulving asked p to perform various memory tasks while brains were scanned using PET scanner
    • found that episodic & semantic both recalled from area of brain known as prefrontal cortex
    • left - recalls semantic right - recalls episodic
    • * internal
    • provides objective, scientific, empirical evidence which shows a physical reality to different types of ltm meaning concept surpasses a basic theoretical concept
  • * real life applications?
    • being able to identify different aspects of ltm has allowed psychologists to target certain kinds of memory in order to better peoples lives
    • belleville found that episodic memory can be improved through training in elderly with mild cog impairments as trained p peformed better on test of episodic than control group
    • shows there must be more than 1 store in ltm & knowledge of this can enable specific treatments to be developed for range of cog impairements
  • X of ltm made of 2 stores not 3?
    • cohen & squire believed that procedural memories represent 1 type of ltm (non declarative)
    • argue that semantic & episodic stored together in 1 separate ltm store known as declarative memory - can be consciously recalled
    • shows that ltm works in different ways & the way memories are catergorised may be based upon amount of conscious recall rather than type of info
    • contradicts importance of time stamped memories
  • X problems using case studies?
    • whilst case studies of hm & clive wearing have provided lots of useful info about what happens when memory is damaged, they suffer from lack of control of different variables
    • e.g severity of injury/age of patient when injured
    • research does not account for evs that may confound results
    • difficult to establish causal relationship between brain damaged patients & types of ltm