Long Term Memory

Long Term Memory

1. Episodic memory

   • -Memory that gives an autobiographical record of personal experiences  -Explicit (declarative)  -e.g birthday -Strength of memory influenced by emotions e.g traumatic event 
   • -Prefrontal cortex brain area associated with coding of episodic memories  -conslidation and storage of memories associated with neocortex  -memories of different parts pf an event e.g visual, auditory (stored in different areas of the brain) are connected together in the hippocampus- creates a memory of an episode 
   • Herlitz- Gender differences
     • -Assessed LTM abilities in 1000 swedish ppts -Females performed better than males on tasks requiring episodic memories  -No differences in semantic LTM ability -There's gender differences in episodic memory ability 
   • Evaluation
     • -Extent to which episodic and semantic memory systems are different is unclear  -Often a lot of overlap between two systems  -Semantic memories clearly originate in episodic memory  -Gradual transformation into a semantic memory 
     • -Episodic memory differs from semantic memory in terms of thinking and emotion  -Episodic memories- conscious awareness of events and emotional feelings  -Semantic memories - objective analysis of phenomena 

2. Semantic memory

   • Contains all knowledge facts concepts meaning  -Explicit (declarative) -what an individual has learned  -Strength of semantic memories dependent on degree of processing  -All semantic memories develop from episodic memories- gradual separation from the event/experience it was learnt from 
   • -disagreement over which brain areas are involved in semantic memory  -Some evidence suggests hippocampus and related areas  -Other evidence -usafe of several brain areas  -Coding associated with frontal and temporal lobes 
   • Vicari et al-case study of CL
     • -CL is an 8b year old girl  -Brain damage - removal of tumour  -Deficiencies in episodic memory  -Still able to create and recall semantic memories  -Episodic and semantic memories are therefore separate systems  -Hippocampus episodic 
   • Evaluation
     • -Semantic memory may involve network of associated links in different brain areas rather than a single form of memory  -Some links may be stronger - quicker to access  -Explains why some semantic memories are easier to recall than others 
     • Damage to different areas of brain can affect semantic memories differently  -Supports idea that semantic memories are spread throughout the brain structures and not a single type of memory but several interrelated memory abilities 

3. Procedural Memory

   • Associated with the neocortex brain areas of primary motor cortex, cerebellum and prefrontal cortex  -Does not need the hippocampus to function