Types of Long-Term Memory

Question 1

Who proposed that there are 3 LTM stores and why?

Answer 1

• Tulving (1985)
• Because the MSM’s view of LTM was too simple

Question 2

What are the 3 LTM Stores proposed by Tulving?

Answer 2

• Episodic memory
• Semantic memory
  -Procedural memory

Question 3

What is episodic memory?

Answer 3

• Our ability to recall events from our lives
• They are time-stamped meaning you remember when and what happened
• It takes conscious effort to recall episodic memories

Question 4

What is semantic memory?

Answer 4

• Contains our shared knowledge of the world
• Memories are not time-stamped as we don’t remember the first time we heard the information
• Less personal and less venerable to distorting and forgetting than episodic memory

Question 5

What is procedural memory?

Answer 5

• For our actions and skills
• Can recall these memories without conscious awareness or effort
• We might find them hard to explain to someone else but you can still do it when needed

Question 6

Who is Clive Wearing?

Answer 6

• He suffered from severe amnesia due to an infection that damaged the hippocampus
  -Before this he was a great pianist and he can still play the piano despite not remembering ever learning

Question 7

What are 2 strengths of the 3 types of LTM proposed by Tulving (1985)

Answer 7

• HM and Clive Wearing support - episdoic memory damaged but semantic and procedural memories unaffected as basic facts didn’t need to be explained - reliable separate stores
• Real world application as understanding types of LTM allows psychologists to help people with memory problems - Belleville et al (2006)

Question 8

What’s a limitation of the types of LTM?

Answer 8

• Conflicting research findings from Petersen and Buckner (1996) reviewed evidence and concluded that semantic memory is on the left side of the prefrontal cortex and episodic is on the right - however Tulving said the opposite - lower reliability