Types of Long-Term Memory

• Episodic memory


  A category of long-term memory that involves the recollection of specific events, situations and experiences.

  
• Semantic memory


  A network of associated facts and concepts that make up our general knowledge of the world.

  
• Procedural memory


  - A type of long-term memory of how to perform different actions and skills.

  - Essentially, it is the memory of how to do certain things.

  
• Strengths of the types of long-term memory

  Clinical evidence

  - HM and CW (case studies)

  - Both men had severely damaged episodic memory.

  - But their semantic memories were relatively unaffected.

  - Their procedural memories were also intact.

  
  

  Real-world application

  - Belleville et al devised an intervention to improve episodic memories in older people.

  - The trained participants performed better on a test of episodic memory after training than a control group.
• Limitations of the types of long-term memory

  Conflicting neuroimaging evidence

  - Buckner and Petersen concluded that semantic memory is located in the left side of the prefrontal cortex and episodic memory on the right.

  - However, Tulving et al linked the left prefrontal cortex with the encoding of episodic memories and the right prefrontal cortex with episodic retrieval.