Types of Long Term Memory

• who proposed the idea that there are two LTM stores with 3 sub stores?

  Endel Tulving (1985)
• what ate the two types of LTM?

  Explicit (declarative) and Implicit (non-declarative)
• What is the explicit memory made up of?

  Episodic and Semantic memory
• What is the implicit memory made up of?

  Procedural memory
• What is the definition of explicit memory?


  Memories that we consciously try to remember and recall.
• What is semantic memory?

  knowledge about words, concepts, and language-based knowledge and facts.
• What is episodic memory?

  information about events we have personally experienced
• What is the definition of implicit memory?


  Memories that are not part of our consciousness. They are memories formed from behaviours.
• What is procedural memory?

  it stores information about how to do things. There is no conscious recall of procedural memory e.g., how to crawl or swim
• What did Hodges and Patterson (2007) found out about patients with Alzheimers?


  They could form new episodic memories but not semantic memories. This suggests that episodic and semantic memory is in different stores.
• How does the case of Clive Wearing prove that there are different types of LTM?

  Wearing's procedural memory seemed intact (e.g. being able to dress himself and even play the piano) as well as his semantic memory (as he still understood the meaning of words), but his episodic memory was severely damaged. For example, the time stamp of when he last saw his wife Deborah
• What is the case of HM?

  HM suffered from severe epilepsy. He underwent surgery. However, the surgery went wrong and destroyed his hippocampus, leaving him with severe anterograde amnesia. This meant he was unable to make any new memories.
• What was the result of HM's condition?

  HM did have the ability to learn new motor skills, so his procedural memory was intact.

  
  

  But HM could not make new episodic or semantic memories. He had a working memory as he was able to hold conversations.

  
  

  HM's issue was that his STM and LTM were no longer connected.
• Strengths of Types of Long Term Memory

  • Clinical evidence - Clive Wearing and HM both suffered from long term memory loss due to brain trauma. Their episodic memory was impacted but semantic memory remained intact. This supports the different types of LTM as if there was only a single type, both men would have had no memory.
  • Real world application - we are able to understand individuals with memory loss. Distinguishing between the types of LTM allows for specific treatments to be developed.
• Weaknesses of Types of Long Term Memory

  • Counterarguing evidence: studying brain injuries lacks control of variables which prevents the researcher being able to study memory properly.
  • Conflicting neuroimaging evidence : Buckner and Petersen found that semantic memory is found on the left of the prefrontal cortex, whereas the episodic is on the right. Other studies have found the memory stores the other way around. This does not help us as there is contrasting evidence.