Types of LTM 2024 PDF

Key terms Episodic Memory Semantic Memory Procedural Memory Declarative (explicit) Non-declarative (implicit) Introduction Atkinson & Shiffrin’s MSM is often criticised as being too simplistic Baddeley & Hitch’s WMM subdivides the STM into separate components Further r...

Key terms Episodic Memory Semantic Memory Procedural Memory Declarative (explicit) Non-declarative (implicit) Introduction Atkinson & Shiffrin’s MSM is often criticised as being too simplistic Baddeley & Hitch’s WMM subdivides the STM into separate components Further researchers have subdivided the LTM into types and also into declarative (knowing that) or non-declarative (knowing how) Tulving - LTM Endel Tulving is a leading figure in memory research. He proposed that there are in fact three LTM stores containing quite different information (Tulving, 1967). Episodic Memory: knowledge of personal events Semantic Memory: general knowledge e.g. Episodic memory Episodic memory is a part of the long-term memory responsible for storing information about events (i.e. episodes) that we have experienced in our lives. It involves conscious thought and is declarative. This means it has to be consciously recalled. e.g. example would be a memory of our 1st day at school. They have 3 specific elements; details of the event, the event and the emotion which are interwoven into a single memory. They are time-stamped. They are associated with the hippocampus and right prefrontal cortex (Tulving 1994). Semantic memory Semantic memory is a part of the LTM responsible for storing information about the world. This includes knowledge about the meaning of words, as well as general knowledge. e.g. London is the capital of England. It involves conscious thought and is declarative (sometimes called explicit). This means it has to be consciously recalled. These memories often start as episodic memories but they are not time stamped (they do not remain associated with an event). They are associated with the left prefrontal cortex (Tulving 1994). Procedural memory Procedural memory is a part of the long-term memory is responsible for knowing how to do things/ carry out complex tasks i.e. memory of motor skills. e.g. procedural memory would involve knowledge of how to ride a bicycle. It does not involve conscious thought (i.e. it’s unconscious - automatic) and is non-declarative (sometimes called implicit). They are associated with the cerebellum and motor cortex. Explaining the difference Exam practice - complete in your books. Give one example of a semantic memory and one example of an episodic memory. Briefly explain one difference between these types of long-term memory. (3 marks) LTM – AO3 AO3 – Brain scans The research shows that different areas of the brain are active when different types of LTM are active. Tulving et al (1994) asked their p’s to complete memory tasks whilst in a PET scanner. They found that episodic and semantic memories activated areas in the prefrontal cortex. Semantic memories from the left and episodic from the right. Procedural memory is further associated with cerebellum. Is this a strength or limitation ? Why? AO3 Further clinical evidence – Clive Wearing  AO3 Problems with clinical evidence A weakness of using supporting evidence from patients with brain damage e.g. HM and Clive Wearing is that there is a lack of control over the research. In the case of HM there are clear confounding variables. For example, HM was on high doses of anti-epileptic medication prior to his operation. This may have affected his memory rather than just the removal of the hippocampus. Therefore, the case studies have low internal validity due to the lack of controls. It cannot be denied that these studies have provided researchers with a lot of interesting information, but their findings must be generalised with caution due to the uniqueness of each patient. AO3 – Real life application Belleville et al (2006) demonstrated that episodic memories could be improved in older people who had a mild cognitive impairment. The ‘trained’ group performed better on a test than the control group. Episodic memory is the type of memory that is most affected by mild cognitive impairment