Long Term Memory – 12/16 marker content

Tulving’s main idea:

LTM is a multipart system made up of 2 or more components containing different types of information.
Episodic memories:
Memories about personal experiences and events for our lives
 Require a conscious effort to recall info
Strength of memory depends an emotion present at time it is coded.
Time stamped-remember when they happened.
Semantic memories:
Facts about general knowledge and is always being added to it.
 Conscious-explicit-effort needed to recall particular fact.
Represents knowledge base for everything you know-
 Less personal and is not time stamped.

Procedural memories
Memory for action and motor skills
 can be recalled without conscious awareness -> IMPLICIT
Actions occur without needing to recall how they happen
Many formed early in life - involve learning of important motor skills.
Evaluation 1:
Neuro-imaging evidence from brain scans show that types of LTM are
distinct from each other.
Tulving et al (1989) used brain scans to show that different types memory
are stored in different parts of the brain.
 Participants asked to perform various memory tasks, including tasks
requiring recalling semantic and episodic memories whilst scanning
their brains using PET scans.
Found that pre-frontal cortex was more active when participants recalled
episodic memories and posterior region was more active when semantic
memories were recalled.
 Suggests different types of LTM are separate memory stores, as scans
provide physical and objective evidence.
 Further supporting research has confirmed that these brain areas are
involved in different types of LTM.
Therefore, this increases validity of the findings and theory of LTM
Evaluation 3:
Clinical evidence support noting there being different types of LTM.
Clive wearing contracted a viral infection causing extensive brain damage
and lost declarative memory (no memory of his wedding) but still had all of
procedural memory (could still play piano).
 Shows that one store can be damaged but other store unaffected.
This shows that LTM isn't a single unitary store and consists of different
types of memories meaning one can be damaged whilst other still
functions.
Increases validity of types of LTM
Evaluation 2:
Real life applications
Episodic memories are most often affected by mild cognitive impairment
 Highlights benefit of being able to distinguish between types of LTM
Belleville et al (2006) demonstrated that episodic memories could be
improved in older people who had mild cognitive impairment.
 Trained participants performed better on test of episodic memory after
training than control group.
By knowing separate stores of LTM, treatment programmes can be
developed to target weaker areas.
Understanding of different types of LTM is useful - improve lives of other
and therefore increases the validity.
Evaluation 4:
Semantic and episodic memories are not independent. The extent to which
memory systems are distinct is unclear.
Episodic memories are the gateway to forming semantic memories.
 E.g. semantic memories may originate in episodic memories (clouds
produce rain-> learnt about clouds in school)
LTM theory states that episodic and semantic memories are separate
stores, whereas a semantic memory may just be a gradual transformation
of an episodic memory.
Demonstrates there may be a link between memories which has not been
accounted for by theory of LTM, making it incomplete.