Types of LTM Flashcards
(10 cards)
What is episodic memory?
Our ability to recall events (episodes) from our lives, including memories of when they occurred and of the people, objects, places, and behaviors involved.
A conscious effort to recall must be made; likened to a diary, a record of daily personal experiences.
What is semantic memory?
Contains shared knowledge of the world, likened to a combination of an encyclopedia and a dictionary.
Includes facts and our knowledge of what words and concepts mean; less personal and usually needs to be recalled deliberately.
What does procedural memory refer to?
Long term memory store of our knowledge of how to do things, including memories of learned skills.
Usually recalled without making a conscious or deliberate effort.
What is a strength of clinical evidence in memory studies?
Evidence from famous case studies of HM (Henry Molaison) and Clive Wearing shows that episodic memory can be severely impaired while semantic memory remains intact.
HM could not recall stroking a dog half an hour earlier but understood the concept of ‘dog’.
What types of memory were intact in HM and Clive Wearing?
Both had intact procedural memories, knowing how to walk, speak, and for Clive Wearing, read music, sing, and play the piano.
What does the evidence from HM and Clive Wearing support?
It supports Tulving’s view that there are different memory stores in long-term memory (LTM), where one store can be damaged while others remain unaffected.
What is a major limitation of clinical studies on memory?
They lack control of variables, as brain injuries are usually unexpected and researchers cannot control what happened before or during the injury.
What conflicting evidence exists regarding types of LTM and brain areas?
Randy Buckner and Steven Petersen concluded that semantic memory is in the left prefrontal cortex and episodic memory in the right, while other research links the left with episodic encoding and the right with retrieval.
What does the conflicting neuroimaging evidence challenge?
It challenges the neurophysiological evidence supporting types of memory due to poor agreement on the locations of each type.
How can understanding types of LTM help in real-world applications?
It allows psychologists to develop specific treatments for memory problems, particularly in older adults who experience episodic memory loss.
Sylvie Belleville et al. (2006) devised an intervention that improved episodic memory in older participants.
