memory: types of long-term memory

Question 1

who was Endel Tulving (1985) ?

Answer 1

• argued that the multi-store model’s view of LTM was too simplistic and inflexible
• Tulving proposed that there are three different types of LTM

Question 2

what are the three different types of LTM proposed by Endel Tulving (1985)?

Answer 2

• episodic memory
• semantic memory
• procedural memory

Question 3

what is episodic memory?

Answer 3

a long-term memory store for personal events and includes memories of when the events occurred and the people, objects, places and behaviours involved

Question 4

what are three features of episodic memory?

Answer 4

• they are time-stamped so you remember when they happened
• one memory will include several elements - people, places, objects
• you have to make a conscious effort to recall episodic memories so they are explicit

Question 5

what is semantic memory?

Answer 5

a long-term memory store for our knowledge of the world, including facts and our knowledge of what words and concepts mean

Question 6

what are three features of semantic memory?

Answer 6

• they are not time stamped
• they contain a vast collection of material that is constantly being added to
• they are recalled consciously so are explicit

Question 7

what is procedural memory?

Answer 7

a long-term memory store for our knowledge on how to do things including our memories of learned skills

Question 8

what are three features of procedural memory?

Answer 8

• we recall these memories without making a conscious or deliberate effort (implicit)
• these skills are easy to do but difficult to explain (non-declarative)
• they are not time-stamped

Question 9

what is a similarity between episodic and semantic memory?

Answer 9

they are both declarative so can be put into words and are consciously recalled (explicit)
- however procedural memory is non-declarative as it is difficult to put into words and cant be consciously recalled (implicit)

Question 10

what is a similarity between semantic and procedural memory?

Answer 10

• they are not autobiographical as you are not part of the memories
• however, episodic memory is autobiographical as you are part of the episodic memories

Question 11

which brain region is episodic memory stored in?

Answer 11

first coding is in the prefrontal cortex but its stored across the brain and connected by the hippocampus

Question 12

which brain region is semantic memory stored in?

Answer 12

the parahippocampal cortex

Question 13

which brain region is procedural memory stored in?

Answer 13

the motor cortex and the cerebellum

Question 14

outline Clive Wearing’s case:

Answer 14

• Clive Wearing has retrograde amnesia resulting from a viral infection that attacked his brain, damaging the hippocampus
• he cannot remember his musical education (episodic memory)
• however, he remembers facts about his life (semantic memory)
• he can also play the piano (procedural memory intact)
• he is also unable to encode new episodic or semantic memories due to also having anterograde amnesia, but under experimental conditions, he is able to gain new procedural memories via repetition

Question 15

how does Clive Wearing’s case support Tulvin’s LTM model?

Answer 15

It suggests that semantic, episodic and procedural memory exist as separate processes as Clive’s episodic memory is completely damaged, can recall but not encode semantic memories and his procedural memory is in tact

Question 16

evaluating research methods for Clive Wearing’s case: idiographic research (AO3) -> limitation

Answer 16

• the use of idiographic research allows researchers to study memory in a way that would be impossible experimentally
• there are problems generalising the findings of these clinical case studies with one or few individuals, to explaining how memory works in the wider population
• there could be other unknown issues unique to that individual that can explain their behaviour
• this case study approach uses qualitative data through personal cases which has low validity

Question 17

evaluating research methods for Tulving’s research: neuroimaging evidence -> strength

Answer 17

• use of modern cognitive neuroscience brain scanning techniques like Tulving’s allowed researchers and scientists to study brain more scientifically
• evidence from brain scan studies suggest different parts of brain associated with different types of long term memory
• Tulving et al (1944) asked pps to perform various tasks while their brains were scanned using PET scanner
• found episodic and semantic memories both recalled from prefrontal cortex -> supports view of physical difference in different types of LTM
• allowed ideas gained by ideographic case studies to be studied using nomothetic methods on larger and healthy subjects allowing generalisations

Question 18

outline the case study of HM (Milner, 1962)

Answer 18

• patient HM suffered severe epilepsy and underwent surgery which involved the removal of his hippocampus to alleviate the symptoms
• his STM remained in tact but he was unable to transfer certain types of info to his LTM
• Milner discovered that HM was able to learn procedural tasks but not episodic or semantic (explicit) information
• HM was able to learn a mirror-tracing task where you copy an image while looking in a mirror and retain the skill without forgetting
• however he had no knowledge of ever previously completing the mirror-tracing task
• therefore, HM was able to demonstrate his procedural memory through implicit behaviour despite being unable to recall his experience explicitly

Question 19

how did the case of HM support Tulving’s model of LTM?

Answer 19

it supports the distinction between implicit and explicit LTM

Question 20

evaluating research methods of Tulving’s research: Three types of LTM or two? (limitation)

Answer 20

• the similarity between types of LTM suggests they may not be truly distinct
• episodic and semantic memory are both declarative and episodic became semantic over time
• there is also a link between semantic and procedural, as we are able to produce automatic, fluent language using semantic concepts without having to consciously recall the details of each semantic idea
• Cohen and Squire (1980) argue that episodic and semantic memories are stored together in one LTM store that they call the declarative memory