Types of Long Term Memory

Endel Tulving 1985, was the first cognitive psychologists to realise that the MSM's view of the LTM was too simplistic and inflexible. He proposed that there is infact 3 LTM stores, containing quite different types of information. He called them episodic memory, semantic memory and procedural memory.

Episodic Memory

A long term memory store for personal evenets. It includes memories of when the events occured and of the people, object, places amnd behaviours involved. Memories from this store have to be retrieved consciously and with effort.

Semantic Memory

A long term memory store for out knowledge of the world. This includes facts and our knowledge of what words and concepts mean. These memories usually also need to e recalled deliberately.

Procedural Memory

A long term memory store for our knowledge on how to do things. This include out memories of learned skills. We usually recall these memories without making a consious or deliberate effort.

Evaluation

Clinical Evidence

The famous case studes of HM (Henry Molaison) and Clive Wearing are relevant here. Episodic memory in both men was severly impaired as a consequence of amnesia. They had great difficulty recalling events that had happened to them in their pasts. But their semantic memories were relatively unaffected. For example they still understood the meaning of words. So HM would not be able to recall stroking a dog half an hour earlier and could not remmber having owned a dog…