types of LTM

• episodic memory

  Tulving - memory of personal experiences from a specific time - autobiographical memories - stored with reference to context (where and when) and emotion (how you felt at the time)- conscious effort to recall (explicit) - can be expressed verbally (declarative)
• semantic memory

  factual knowledge of meaningful information about the world which everyone knows - may be concrete (facts like capital cities) or abstract (concepts in maths or language like what a word means) - not stored in reference to context or emotion - explicit and declarative memory
• procedural memory

  memory of skills, actions or how things are done - actions = muscle based memories - implicit (non declarative) - automatic (result of repeated practice) - can focus attention elsewhere whilst performing everyday skill (tying shoelace, driving) - implicit (recall memories without making conscious or deliberate effort)
• EVALUATION - Finke

  PM - suffered brain damage - semantic LTM very affected (couldn't remember musical facts like names of composers) procedural memory unaffected (ability to read and play music unaffected and could learn new complex pieces) - different types of LTM
• EVALUATION - case study of brain damage patients

  LTM made up of separate types of LTM - Clive Wearing - lost episodic memory (no memory of wedding) but still had use of procedural memory (can still play piano) - different types of LTM otherwise damage to LTM would have damaged all LTM equally
• EVALUATION - may ignore a fourth type

  research identified another type of LTM, priming where implicit memories (haven't consciously recalled) influence responses to a stimulus - e.g. person given list of words including yellow and asked to name fruit, probability they'll answer banana greater that if they aren't primed - LTM more complex
• EVALUATION - practical applications

  identifying different aspects of LTM allows psychologists to target certain kinds of memory - Belleville able to develop memory training to improve episodic memory, type of LTM most affected by mild cognitive impairment and found it was highly effective in improving memory of older people - can improve peoples lives