Types of long-term memory

Types of long-term memory

1. Episodic memory

   • a form of LTM for events occurring in an individual's life
   • Herlitz et al. assessed explicit LTM abilities in 1,000 Swedish participants, finding that females consistently performed better that males on tasks requiring episodic LTM. suggesting gender differences in episodic memory ability.
   • The extent to which episodic and semantic memory systems are different is unclear.
   • It may be that episodic memory differs from that of semantic memory in terms of different types of thinking and emotion.

2. Semantic memory

   • type of LTM for meanings, understandings and other concept-based knowledge
   • Vicari et al. found results that suggested that episodic and semantic memory are separate systems using different brain areas, with the hippocampus associated with episodic memory and the peripheral cortex with semantic LTM.
   • Semantic memory may involve more of a network of associated links performed in different brain areas, rather than being a single form of memory ability.
   • The fact that damage to different areas of the brain can affect semantic memory abilities differently supports the idea that semantic memory abilities are spread throughout brain structures.

3. Procedural memory

   • type of LTM for the performance of particular types of action
   • Finke et al. reported the case of the PM who suffered damage to various brain areas affecting his semantic and episodic LTM but not his procedural LTM.
   • one problem in deciding which brain areas are involved in procedural memory is the lack of research
   • Procedural memories generally take longer to learn than explicit memory abilities.