types of long term memory

• • one of the criticisms of the MSM is that it is too simple
  • one area that researchers have focused on is the long term memory and how humans seem to have different kinds of long term memories
• episodic memory: personal experiences - 'episodes' e.g first day at school, family holidays
• episodic memories can include details for

  • what happened
  • the context e.g where you were, who was there
  • emotions
• episodic memories are time stamped - we know when they happened, and can be consciously recalled
• semantic memory: the ability to recall facts and information about the world around us
• semantic memories can be consciously recalled

  it is not time stamped - most of the time we do not recall when and how we learnt this information
• procedural memory: memory for skills and actions, not for facts or concepts
• procedural memories usually have to be acquired through deliberate practise (rather than being told something like with semantic memories). as such they are not time stamped because they are not acquired at just one point in time
• HM and clive pt 1

  
  

  P - one strength is evidence from the famous case studies of HM and Clive wearing

  E - Despite severe impairment in episodic memory due to brain damage, both individuals retained intact semantic and procedural memories. They could still understand the meaning of words and perform skilled actions, indicating the preservation of these memory types.
• HM and clive pt 2

  
  

  E - For instance, HM couldn't recall recent events but understood the concept of a "dog," while Clive Wearing, despite memory loss, retained musical skills such as reading music and playing the piano.

  L - This supports Tulving's theory of different memory stores in long-term memory. Even if one store is damaged, others can remain unaffected, demonstrating the complexity and resilience of the memory system.
• P - although clinical studies on brain injuries aid understanding of normal memory they still face limitations.

  E - These studies lack control over variables such as injury circumstances and pre-injury memory levels, making it hard to measure post-injury impact accurately.

  E - Without control over these factors, assessing different long-term memory types becomes challenging.

  L - Thus, while informative, clinical studies are restricted in their ability to fully explain long-term memory processes due to variable control limitations.
• tulving eval pt 1

  P - another strength is Tulving's brain scanning studies providing further evidence for distinct types of long-term memory (LTM).

  E - Episodic memory tasks activate the hippocampus and temporal lobe, semantic memory tasks engage the temporal lobe, and procedural memory tasks involve the cerebellum and motor cortex.
• tulving eval pt 2

  E - These findings indicate that different brain regions process different memory types, supporting the concept of separate memory systems.

  L - Thus, Tulving's research reinforces the idea that various memory types are processed differently in the brain, strengthening the concept of distinct memory systems.