Memory

~ Types of long term memory ~

Implicit// involves unconscious thought 

• Procedural:  Allows us to perform learned tasks with little/no conscious thought such as walking and riding a bike

Explicit// involves conscious thought 

• Semantic: General facts and knowledge, not time stamped, less personal. 
• Episodic: Memories of events which have taken place in our lives, consist of personal facts and experiences.

Areas of the Brain:

1.  Episodic Memory- Prefrontal cortex, also associated with memory storage, neocortex, all connected to the hippocampus.
2. Semantic Memory- Hippocampus and coding is 1.    mainly associated with the frontal, temporal lobes.
3. Procedural Memory- Neocortex areas in the brain, primary motor cortex, cerebellum and prefrontal cortex.

Research:

     Episodic Memory- Herlitz (1997) 100 Swedish participants, explicit long term abilities tested, researching gender differences in episodic memory, females performed better than males.

     Semantic Memory- Kroeing (2007) created 64 imaginary but believable drawing of dogs, one was prototype for cutters (Animals shared 3 similar features). Alzheimer and  Non-Alzheimer took part, deciding which out of 64 pictures were cutters, Alzheimer participants were as good as Non-Alzheimer participants when directly comparing, but inferior when using stated rule as it requires higher level of processing, suggesting semantic memory involves different processes and brain areas. 

     Procedural Memory- Finke et al (2012) a 68 year-old professional cellist with encephalitis, resulted in amnesia, his episodic and semantic LTM were very affected, he could not remember musical facts such as names of composers, but his ability to read and play music was unaffected.

Evaluation:

Procedural Memory- 

×     Problem in deciding which brain areas are involved in procedural memory is the lack of research, cases of people with brain damage which affects procedural memory is needed but not explicit memory this is rare.

Procedural memories take longer to learn than explicit, this may be because procedural memory requires motor functions and spatial abilities explicit tends not to.