2.3 Types of Long Term Memory

2.3 Types of Long Term Memory

1. Tulving (1972) proposed a distinction between episodic, semantic and procedural memory. These can be split into implicit and explicit memories.

   • Explicit
     • Memory with awareness that can be consciously recalled.
   • Implicit
     • Memory without awareness

2. Procedural

   • Implicit
   • Memory for actions or skills. Can be recalled without a conscious effort.

3. Semantic

   • Explicit
   • Contains the shared knowledge of the world. Like how an orange looks. These memories are not time stamped.

4. Episodic

   • Explicit
   • Refers to the ability to recall events from our lives. These are time stamped and will include several elements.

5. Evaluation

   • Strengths:
     • Clinical evidence. Case study of Clive Wearing, an amnesiac showed that his episodic memory was severely damaged, yet he still remembered how to read music and play the piano.
     • Real world application. Belleville et al (2006) devised an intervention to improve episodic memory in older people.
   • Weaknesses:
     • Conflicting neuroimaging evidence. Buckner and Peterson (1996) concluded that semantic memory is located on the left side of the prefrontal cortex and episodic on the right. This challenges neurophyisological evidence.