168 • CHAPTER 6 Long-Term Memory: Structure
two types of explicit memory: Episodic memory is mem-
ory for personal events in our lives; semantic memory is
memory for facts and knowledge.- Implicit memories are memories used without awareness.
Types of implicit memory are priming, procedural mem-
ory, and classical conditioning. - According to Tulving, the defining property of the expe-
rience of episodic memory is that it involves mental time
travel (self-knowing or remembering). The experience
of semantic memory (knowing) does not involve mental
time travel. - The following evidence supports the idea that episodic
and semantic memory involve different mechanisms:
(a) double dissociation of episodic and semantic memory
in patients with brain damage; (b) brain imaging, which
indicates that overlapping but different areas are acti-
vated by episodic and semantic memories. - Even though episodic and semantic memories are served
by different mechanisms, they are connected in the fol-
lowing ways: (a) Episodic memories can be lost, leaving
semantic memory; (b) semantic memory can be enhanced
by association with episodic memory; (c) semantic mem-
ory can influence attention, and therefore what informa-
tion we take in and potentially remember later. - Implicit memory occurs when previous experience
improves our performance on a task, even though we
do not remember the experience. Tulving calls implicit
memory nonknowing. - Priming occurs when the presentation of a stimulus
affects a person’s response to the same or a related
stimulus when it is presented later. There are two main
types of priming: repetition priming and conceptual
priming.- The demonstration of implicit memory depends on show-
ing that a particular change in behavior has occurred
without participants’ consulting their episodic memory
(because then the memory would not be unconscious, as
required if it is an implicit memory). Various techniques
can be used to achieve this; the most effective is to use
amnesiac patients as participants. - Implicit memory is not just a laboratory phenomenon,
but also occurs in real life. The propaganda effect is one
example of real-life implicit memory. - Procedural memory, also called skill memory, has been
studied in amnesiac patients. They are able to learn new
skills, although they do not remember learning them.
Procedural memory is a common component of many of
the skills we have learned. - Classical conditioning occurs when a neutral stimu-
lus is paired with a stimulus that elicits a response,
so that the neutral stimulus than elicits the response.
Classically conditioned emotions occur in everyday
experience. - Memory loss has been depicted in movies in a number
of ways, some of which bear at least a resemblance to
actual cases of amnesia, and some of which are totally
fictional conditions.
Think ABOUT IT
- What do you remember about the last 5 minutes? How
much of what you are remembering is in your STM
while you are remembering it? Were any of these memo-
ries ever in LTM? - On page 155, we described the case of K.F., who had
normal LTM but poor STM. What problem does K.F.’s
condition pose for the modal model of memory? Can
you think of a way to modify the model that would han-
dle K.F.’s condition? - Not all long-term memories are alike. There is a differ-
ence between remembering what you did 10 minutes ago,
1 year ago, and 10 years ago, even though all of these
memories are called “long-term memories.” What kinds
of investigations could you carry out to demonstrate the
properties of these different long-term memories?- Rent movies like Memento, 50 First Dates, or oth-
ers that depict memory loss. (Search the Internet for
“Movies amnesia” for films in addition to those listed
in the book.) Describe the memory loss depicted in
these movies, and compare the problem depicted with
the cases of memory loss described in this chapter.
Determine how accurately depictions of memory loss in
movies correspond to memory loss that occurs in actual
cases of trauma or brain damage. You may have to do
some additional research on memory loss to answer
this question.
If You WANT TO KNOW MORE
- Top-down processing and the suffix effect. The suffix
effect occurs when a sound presented at the end of a list
of words decreases the recency effect in the serial posi-
tion curve. This effect can depend on the participant’s
interpretation of the meaning of the sound, which means
that top-down processing can be involved in this effect.Copyright 2011 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part.