explanation of ltm: episodic and semantic memory (Tulving, 1972)

Question 1

what did tulving propose about long-term memory?

Answer 1

• long-term memory has two stores: episodic and semantic
• episodic memory = remembered experiences
• semantic memory = remembered facts

Question 2

what is semantic memory according to tulving?

Answer 2

• semantic memory is like a mental encyclopaedia
• stores words, facts, rules, meanings and concepts
• memories are linked to other facts, not to personal experience
• associations are conceptual (e.g. bird and nest, school and learning)
• examples include knowing that june follows may or that south africa is a hot country

Question 3

what is episodic memory according to tulving?

Answer 3

• episodic memory is like a mental diary
• stores information about personal experiences or events
• memories are linked to specific times and contexts
• involves recalling when and where something happened

Question 4

time referencing: episodic memory

Answer 4

• dependent on time-referencing
• example: recalling your first day at school is linked to the date it happened

Question 5

time referencing: semantic

Answer 5

• detached from time-referencing
• example: knowing paris is the capital of france without recalling when or where you learned it

Question 6

spatial referencing: episodic

Answer 6

• input is continuous, experienced within a temporal frame
• example: remembering a birthday party as it unfolded in time

Question 7

spatial referencing: semantic

Answer 7

• input can be fragmentary and learned at different times
• example: learning about emmeline pankhurst and emily davison separately, then linking them to understand the suffragette movement
• facts can be stored independently and later organised into a meaningful structure

Question 8

retrieval: episodic

Answer 8

• dependent on context
• recall depends on the context in which the memory was formed

Question 9

retrieval: semantic

Answer 9

• retrieval from semantic memory is based on inferences, generalisation and logical thought
• semantic recall leaves the memory trace relatively unchanged
• tulving believed episodic memory is more susceptible to transformation when recalled

Question 10

are the stores interrelated?: semantic

Answer 10

• yes, semantic memory can operate independently of episodic memory
• for example, we don’t need to remember the lesson about equations to use them later

Question 11

are the stores interrelated?: episodic

Answer 11

• episodic memory is unlikely to operate without semantic memory
• we need to draw on previous knowledge of objects, people, and events to understand new experiences
• tulving argued that, despite overlap, episodic and semantic memory can be treated as separate independent stores