Long Term Memory

• LTM has unlimited capacity and holds information for a long time. The transfer of information for the STM to the LTM is promoted by the processes of rehearsal, organisation and elaboration.
• Rehearsal is regarded as a shallow form of encoding information into LTM. It involves repetition and maintains information in the STM longer and then facilitates transfer to the LTM.
• Organisation involves grouping and organisation into logical categories to make movement from STM to LTM easier.
• Elaboration involves changing or adding material in order to make the

  remembering easier. Elaboration is regarded as a deeper form of encoding which leads to improved information retention.
• Encoding is the conversion of one or more nerve impulses into a form that can be held by the brain, then retrieved from the STM or LTM.
• The quality of the memory is affected by the attention given to the task of encoding material. Some forms of encoding are shallow, others are deeper.
• Repetition is an example of shallow encoding.
• Elaboration is an example of deeper encoding
• Shallow forms of encoding are less effective at retaining information than deeper forms.
• Your LTM is organised into distinct categories of information, which are constantly being revised, reorganised and enlarged. When information is retrieved from the LTM a search is mounted.
• Contextual cues relate to the time and place when the information was initially encoded into the LTM.

  A cue is a signal or reminder, e.g. a current smell can cause memories to come back. These cues trigger and impulse through a ‘memory circuit’.

  Memories can be stored in many different categories and have different cues relating to it.

  Emotional events can have very powerful emotional cues. This enables the experience to be retrieved and recalled clearly throughout life.
• The transfer of information from STM to LTM can occur if the information is encoded, this can be due to rehearsal, organisation and elaboration.
• The LTM is thought to be able to hold an unlimited amount of information.
• Encoding can be shallow (rehearsal) or elaborative (association with other information). It is the conversion of 1 or more nerve impulses into a form that can be held by the brain and retrieved later by the STM or LTM.
• Retrieval is aided by the use of contextual cues.