Long-term Memory

• Tulving's theory argues that LTM is not just one unitary store but that there are multiple types.
• Episodic Memory

  Memory of events in our life - knowing when and where events happened / we can consciously recall the memory / it is not very resistant to forgetting.
• Semantic Memory

  Memory of factual information / we can consciously recall the memory / it is not very resistant to forgetting.
• Procedural Memory

  Muscle based memory / we cannot consciously recall these memories / it is very resistant to forgetting.
• Evaluation

  Case studies such as HM support Tulving's theory. After HM's hippocampus was removed he could not remember new events or new factual information. He could, however, learn how to do new tasks - when asked to draw a star through a mirror he got quicker each time he did it. This gives evidence to the fact that there are multiple LTM stores. However, research based on case studies cannot be generalised as it is based on one individual person.
• On the other hand, there is research of types of LTM in the non clinical population. Tulving used brain scanning techniques to show that the recall of episodic memories activated the frontal and temporal lobes but semantic memories activated the parietal and occipital lobes. This supports the idea of multiple types of LTM. This research has RWA as being being able to identify different areas of the brain specialised for different types of memory helps us better understand and treat the symptoms of amnesia.