Long-term memory

• There are 3 types of long term memory - episodic, semantic and procedural.
• Episodic LTM = These are personal events that are time stamped. we have to make a conscious effort to retrieve them. E.g. 5th birthday party.
• sematic LTM = this knowledge of the world. These are not time stamped and are less personal but still need to be retrieved with conscious effort. E.g. what colours are which
• Procedural LTM = Knowledge of how to do things. Memory of learned skills and are recalled without conscious effort. E.g. how to play the piano.
• Strength of LTM:

  • Research evidence. Clive wearing who had amnesia, was able to play the piano but couldn't remember his children names. This shows that there are different stores as his procedural was still intact.
• A strength of LTM

  A scientific evidence. Tulving did brain scans on people doing different memory tasks. semantic occurs in the LEFT prefrontal cortex and episodic in the RIGHT prefrontal cortex. Therefore there is physical evidence for different types of LTM.
• A weakness of LTM

  The use of evidence uses case studies. This isn't a good source of evidence as they only focus on one person. This means that findings can't be generalised and applied to everyone.