Types of Long Term Memory Flashcards
(11 cards)
Ao1 types of ltm
-There are X3 types of LTM: episodic, procedural and
semantic
-episodic memory is about a person’s life event and their memory of
Specific events. This may include details of the event, the context and the
emotions felt at that time
-e. g a traumatic event
-semantic memories are knowledge about the world in which we live in and is shared by everyone rather than being a persona episodic experience
-this memory may relate to function of objects or what behaviour is appropriate In a particular situation e. g escalator /or abstract concept. Such as maths or language
-The final memory is procedural which is about skills e.g fieing a shoelace
↳ It remembering how to do something rather than knowing what to do
-memory is acquired through repetition and practice where we become less aware of these memories as they become automatic
What are the three types of long-term memory (LTM)?
The three types of LTM are episodic, procedural, and semantic.
What is episodic memory?
Episodic memory is about a person’s life events and their memory of specific events, including details, context, and emotions felt at that time.
Example: A traumatic event.
What are semantic memories?
Semantic memories are knowledge about the world that is shared by everyone, rather than being a personal episodic experience. E.g vat is 20%
This may relate to the function of objects or appropriate behaviors in specific situations, e.g funeral or abstract concepts like math or language.
What is procedural memory?
Procedural memory is about skills, such as tying a shoelace, and involves remembering how to do something rather than knowing what to do.
How is memory acquired in procedural memory?
Memory is acquired through repetition and practice, becoming less conscious as these memories become automatic.
What evidence supports the distinction between types of long-term memory (LTM)?
Evidence from brain scans shows that different types of LTM are used in different parts of the brain. For example, episodic memory is associated with the hippocampus, semantic memory relies on the frontal lobe, and procedural memory is associated with the cerebellum.
This suggests that these types of LTM are separate and are found in different areas of the brain, therefore it has reliability.
What does the case of HM reveal about long-term memory (LTM)?
The case of HM indicates that there are types of LTM, as he couldn’t form episodic or semantic memories but could still form procedural memories, such as drawing himself.
This supports the distinction between the types of LTM, highlighting the existence of multiple types of LTM, therefore it is true to life and has validity.
What is a weakness of relying on patients with brain damage for LTM studies?
It is difficult to conclude which part of the brain is damaged until post-mortem. Additionally, damage to one area doesn’t necessarily mean that area is responsible for particular behavior.
This means that we cannot establish a causal relationship between a particular brain region and types of LTM, as we don’t know if it’s the trauma or the damage, which lacks validity.
What is the implication of the potential existence of a fourth type of LTM?
Priming is the influence of implicit memories on our responses and is controlled by a brain system separate from the temporal system that supports explicit memories.
This suggests that the original theory of LTM may be too simplistic and takes a reductionist approach, reducing the types of LTM that exist to simple components, which lacks validity.
