TYPES OF LONG TERM MEMORY

• STORE 1: EPISODIC MEMORY 


  • Stores events (episodes from our lives:

  This store has been likened to a diary of daily personal experiences (episodes).

  E.G  your most recent vidit to the dentist, the psychology class you had yesterday, the breakfast you ate this morning. 

  • Episodic memories are complex:

  They are time-stamped - you remember when they happened and how they relate in time. 

  They involve several elements - people, places, objects and behaviours are woven into our memory. 

  You have to make a conscious effort to recall them.
• STORE 2: SEMANTIC MEMORY 


  • Stores our knowledge of the world:

  Semantic memory is like a combination of an encyclopedia and a dictionary. 

  E.G it includes knowledge of such things as how to apply ot university, the taste of an orange, and the meaning of the words. 

  • Semantic memories are not time-stamped:

  They are not time-stamped, e.g we don’t remember when we first heard about Frozen.

  They are less personal than episodic memories and more about facts/knowledge we all share.
• STORE 3: PROCEDURAL MEMORY 


  • Stores memories for actions and skills:

  These are memories of how we do things. 

  E.G  driving a car or playing table tennis.

  • Recall occurs without awareness or effort:

  These sills/actions become automatic with practice. 

  Explaining the step-by-step procedure (e.g changing gear) is hard because you do it without conscious recall.