Episodic and Semantic Memory (Explicit) • 157words that are familiar or that he has recently seen
compared to words that he has rarely encountered.
Another type of implicit memory is procedural
memory, also called skill memory, which is memory
for doing things. When Cliff is typing notes into his
computer, his ability to type is procedural memory.
Finally, classical conditioning is another form of
implicit memory. As we described in Chapter 1
(see page 10), classical conditioning occurs when
pairing an initially neutral stimulus with another
stimulus results in the neutral stimulus taking on new
properties. For example, about a week ago Cliff had a
frightening accident in which a red SUV smashed into
his car. He escaped without serious injury, but was
emotionally shaken. Now, when he sees a red SUV or
even red cars, he begins to feel anxious, just as he felt
immediately after the accident. Because of classical
conditioning, the previously neutral cars have taken
on new properties.
The different types of long-term memory are
the topic of the rest of this chapter. Starting with the
defi nitions above, we will elaborate on and provide
further examples for each of these types of long-term
memory.- What was Jimmy G.’s problem, and why did it occur?
- Describe the “time scale” of short-term and long-term memory. Are all long-
term memories created equal? - How does the example of Tony and Cindy show how LTM and WM work
together? (Hint: James Bond movie) - Describe how differences between STM/WM and LTM have been demon-
strated based on (a) the serial position curve, (b) neuropsychological evidence,
and (c) differences in coding. - Describe the method of recognition, including how it differs from recall and how
this method was used in the Sachs experiment involving the passage about Galileo. - What is the difference between explicit memory and implicit memory? What
are the two types of explicit memory? The three types of implicit memory?
Episodic and Semantic Memory (Explicit)
In our introduction to types of memory, we saw that episodic and semantic memory are
types of explicit memory because we are conscious of them and can describe or report
their contents. We now consider in more detail how these two types of explicit memory
are distinguished, how they have been separated physiologically, and how they interact
with one another.DISTINGUISHING BETWEEN
EPISODIC AND SEMANTIC MEMORY
When we say that episodic memory is memory for events and semantic memory is
memory for facts, we are distinguishing between these two types of memory based onTEST YOURSELF 6.1
● (^) FIGURE 6.7 Cliff is experiencing two types of explicit memory
(episodic and semantic), and his behavior is being infl uenced by three
types of implicit memory (priming, procedural, and conditioning).
Implicit memory
Explicit memory
Reading recently
viewed words is
easier (priming)
Typing
(procedural)
Red vehicles
make him anxious
(conditioning)
Conversation
with Gail
(episodic)
Cognitive
psychology
fact (semantic)
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