Describe and Evaluate The Types of Long Term Memory

Describe and evaluate the types of Long Term
Memory (12 marks)
AO1 (6 marks) - Describe the model/theory/approach/model

● Tulving (1985) suggested that the long term memory is a multi-part system -
made up of two or more subsystems (components) containing different types
of information.
○ Rejects unitary store view of LTM proposed by Atkinson and Shiffrin’s
Multi-Store Model of Memory
● Can be divided into:

○ Declarative Memory - Explicit (requires conscious effort to retrieve):
■ Episodic
■ Semantic
○ Procedural Memory - Implicit (requires unconscious effort to retrieve
● Declarative Memory
○ Episodic Memory
■ Ability to remember personal experiences and events (episodes)
from our lives
■ Requires a conscious effort (explicit) to recall a particular
episode
■ Single episode can include people, places and objects - all
bound to one memory episode
■ Strength of memory depends on emotion present at the time it is
coded
● E.g traumatic events are often recalled due to high
emotional content
■ Are time-stamped - Remember when they happened
○ Semantic Memory
■ Contains facts and knowledge about the world and is always
being added to
■ Requires a conscious effort (explicit) to recall a particular fact
■ Represents knowledge base for everything - less personal and
not time-stamped.
● Procedural Memory
○ Memory for action motor-skills
○ Can be recalled without conscious awareness (implicit)
○ Actions occur without us needing to recall how they happened
○ Many are formed early in life - involves learning important motor skills
(e.g learning how to walk) which are often difficult to explain.
AO3 - Evaluation (1)
P - One strength of the ‘Types of Long Term Memory’ theory is that there is scientific
evidence from brain scans that suggests that different types of long term memory are
separate.
E - Tulving et al (1989) used brain scans to show that different types of memory are
stored in different parts of the brain. In this research, participants were asked to
perform in various memory tasks whilst scanning their brains using PET scans.
Found that episodic memories were recalled from prefrontal cortex and semantic
memories from the posterior region of cortex.
E - This is a strength because it supports that different types of LTM are separate.
This is because there was an activation of separate brain areas when performing
semantic and episodic tasks. As a result, physical evidence is provided for different
types of LTM, which is empirical and objective, thus showing that different types of
LTM are stored in different parts of the brain.
L - Increases the validity of the theory of different types of LTM.

P - Another strength of the ‘Types of Long Term Memory’ theory is that it has
supporting clinical evidence from the case of Clive Wearing.
E - For example, the case of Clive Wearing, surrounds a man who contracted a viral
infection which caused extensive brain damage. As a result, he lost his declarative
episodic memory, as he had no memory of his wedding day, however his procedural
memory was still intact, as he was still able to play the piano. This resulted in one
store within his long term memory can be damaged whilst other stores were
unaffected.
E - This is a strength as it shows that the LTM consists of different stores, and
should it have been one unitary store, he should have been able to perform or recall
both declarative and procedural memories or neither. This ultimately supports the
idea of LTM having separate sub-systems and suggests that declarative and
procedural memories are separate systems in LTM.
L - This increases the validity of the different types of LTM theory.

P - One weakness of the ‘Types of Long Term Memory’ theory is that it can be
difficult to separate episodic and semantic memories.
E- The possible overlap of episodic and semantic memories raises the question of
whether episodic memories are a gateway to forming semantic memories or whether
it is sometimes possible to form semantic memories on their own or independently.
E - This is a limitation as the theory of different types of LTM presents episodic and
semantic memories as completely separate stores, however it is unclear if semantic
memories are a gradual transformation from an episodic memory or not.
L - This presents the different types of LTM as an incomplete theory as it fails to

acknowledge the possible overlap of episodic and semantic memories, thus reducing
the validity of the different types of LTM theory.

P - Another strength of the types of LTM is that it can allow psychologists and
clinicians to improve lives.
E - Episodic memory is the type of memory that is most often affected by mild
cognitive impairments, which highlights the benefit of being able to distinguish
between types of LTM.
Belleville et al (2006) demonstrated that episodic memories could be improved in

older people who had a mild cognitive impairment. The trained participants
performed better on a test of episodic memory after training that a control group.
E - This is a strength as if psychologists know that different LTMs are separate, they
can develop treatment programmes to improve the lives of those affected.
L - As a result, research and understanding of different LTM is useful as it helps

people in their lives, thus increasing the usefulness of the different types of LTM.

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Describe and evaluate the types of Long Term

Memory (12 marks)

AO1 (6 marks) - Describe the model/theory/approach/model

● Can be divided into:

L - Increases the validity of the theory of different types of LTM.

AO3 - Evaluation (2)

L - This increases the validity of the different types of LTM theory.

AO3 - Evaluation (3)

L - This presents the different types of LTM as an incomplete theory as it fails to

AO3 - Evaluation (4)

Belleville et al (2006) demonstrated that episodic memories could be improved in

L - As a result, research and understanding of different LTM is useful as it helps

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