Types of Long-term Memory

Question 1

Who believed there were different types of long-term memory?

Answer 1

• Tulving (1985)
• MSM was too simplistic

Question 2

What are the three types of long-term memory?

Answer 2

• episodic
• semantic
• procedural

Question 2

What’s episodic memory?

Answer 2

• our ability to recall events that we’ve experienced
• includes specific details of that event
• strength of memories is influenced by emotions present at the time a memory is encoded
• declarative/explicit (requires conscious recall)

Question 2

Which area of the brain is associated with episodic memory?

Answer 2

• the hippocampus

Question 3

What’s semantic memory?

Answer 3

• knowledge we’ve accumulated in our lifetime
• facts, concepts, rules, meanings
• less personal than episodic memory
• declarative/explicit (requires conscious recall)

Question 3

Which area of the brain is associated with semantic memory?

Answer 3

• the temporal lobe

Question 4

What’s procedural memory?

Answer 4

• actions/skills e.g. driving a car
• non-declarative/implicit (doesn’t require conscious recall)
• many procedural LTMs occur early in life

Question 5

Which area of the brain is associated with procedural memory?

Answer 5

• the motor cortex and the cerebellum

Question 6

Strength - Clinical Evidence

Answer 6

• case studies of HM and Clive Wearing
• episodic memories impaired but semantic and procedural memories unaffected
• supports idea that there are different LTM stores, and each is stored in a different area of the brain

Question 7

Strength - Neuroimaging Evidence

Answer 7

Tulving (1994)
- participants performed various memory tasks while having a PET scan
- found that different types of LTM are associated with different parts of the brain

Question 8

Weakness - Issues with Clinical Evidence

Answer 8

• lack of control over variables
• case studies are unique and can’t be generalised

Question 9

Weakness - Lack of research into Procedural Memory

Answer 9

• no case studies