Types of LTM

• What is declarative memory?

  • Declarative memory is a type of long-term memory that stores facts, events, and knowledge that can be consciously recalled and articulated. It is also known as explicit memory because it involves intentional retrieval of information.
  • Episodic memory
  • Semantic memory
• What is non-declarative memory?

  • Non-declarative memory, also known as implicit memory, is a type of long-term memory that operates unconsciously and is used for skills, habits, and conditioned responses. 
  • Procedural memory
• Episodic memory

  • Ability to recall events from our lives- time stamped
  • Personal events and the memories of when the event occurred e.g people, objects, places and behaviours involved.
  • Need to make a conscious effort to retrieve such memories and express these in words
  • Autobiographical- about you and your experienced.
  • Strength of memory can be affected by the emotions you felt as the time: your strongest recall of the memory can be when you felt really happy or really sad.
• Semantic memory

  • LTM store for our knowledge of the word which is shared by everyone, not personal
  • E.g facts of what words mean
  • Not always time stamped, we don’t always recall when we first remembered such facts.
  • Explicit memories.
• Procedural memory

  • LTM store for our knowledge of how to do things
  • Can recall these memories without a great deal of conscious effort e.g driving a car
  • Sort of skills we may find hard to explain to someone else
• Supportive clinical evidence

  • Supported by memory studies like patient HM and clive wearing. As a result of amnesia, their episodic memory was severely impaired, but their semantic and procedural memories were unaffected.
  • Patient HM was unable to recall stroking a dog but he did not need the concept of dog to be explained to him.
  • Suggests that longterm memory is not a unitary store but in fact long-term memory constitutes different types like episodic, semantic and procedural.
  • Evidence supports Tulving’s view that there are different memory store sin LTM.
• Issues associated with clinical evidence

  • There is a lack of control of all sorts of different variables in clinical studies.
  • Clinical studies involve people who have had brain injuries as a result of unexpected accident. The researcher has no control over what happened to the patient before they experienced the injury. E.g in the case of amnesia, the psychologist will have very little idea of what the patient’s memory was like before the injury. Therefore they wont know how much worse is it now than it was then.
• Evidence from brain scanning studies

  • Buckner and Peterson found episodic and semantic memories were both recalled from an area of the brain- prefrontal cortex. This areas is divided into 2, one on each side of the brain. The left prefrontal cortex involved in recalling semantic memories and right prefrontal cortex responsible for episodic memories.
  • Findings suggests that different areas of the brain are activated when recalling a particular type of memory.
  • Supports Tulving’s idea of different types of stores for LTM.
• Real life application

  • Enabled psychologists to help people with memory problems.
  • Belleville et al found that episodic memories could be improved in older people who had mild cognitive impairment. Results found that trained participants performed better on a test of episodic memory compared to control group.
  • Suggests that identifying the different types of LTM is beneficial as it allows specific treatments to be developed. It betters peoples lives because they are able to recall episodes in their own life.
  • Treatment this will help improve the quality of life of people with memory disorders.