Chapter 6: Long-Term Memory Structure

LTM

Long-term memory; retains information for extended periods.

STM

Short-term memory; temporarily holds information.

Serial Position Effects

Recall influenced by word position in a list.

Primacy Effect

Better recall for items at the list's beginning.

Recency Effect

Better recall for items at the list's end.

Neuropsychological Evidence for LTM vs STM

Distinct brain regions for LTM and STM.

Patient HM

Impaired LTM but intact STM by surgically removing hippocampus; thus, hippocampus affects LTM

Patient KF

Impaired STM with intact LTM from parietal lobe damage.

Anterograde Amnesia

Inability to form new long-term memories.

Retrograde Amnesia

Inability to recall old memories.

Explicit Memory

Consciously aware memories.

Episodic Memory

Memory for personal events and experiences.

Episodic Memory Example

What did you eat for breakfast?

Semantic Memory

Memory for facts and general knowledge.

Semantic Memory Example

Who is the President of the United States?

What type of brain damage did Patient KC have?

Damage to the hippocampus and surrounding structures

What type of memory is impaired in Patient KC?

Episodic memory

What type of memory remains intact in Patient KC?

Semantic memory

What is the association of the hippocampus based on Patient KC's case?

The hippocampus is associated with episodic memory

What type of memory is impaired in patient LP?

Semantic memory

What type of memory is intact in patient LP?

Episodic memory

What can patient LP remember regarding life events?

Recent and past life events

What specific difficulty does patient LP have with a grocery list?

Couldn't remember the meaning of words

Brain Imaging Evidence for episodic vs semantic memory

Different brain structures for episodic and semantic memory.

Decay of Memories

Episodic details decay faster than semantic details.

Personal Semantic Memories

Facts tied to personal experiences, which shows how episodic and semantic memories interact

Recollection

Remembering specific experiences and contexts.

Familiarity

Recognizing something without specific context.

What is the procedure for Remember/Know tasks?

Participants are presented with stimuli that they have encountered before.

What does 'Remember' indicate in the Remember/Know procedure?

I have encountered the stimulus before and remember the circumstances of the encounter.

What are the components of 'Remember' in the Remember/Know procedure?

Recollection and familiarity, including episodic components.

What does 'Know' indicate in the Remember/Know procedure?

I have encountered the stimulus before, but I don't remember when or how.

What type of memory is associated with 'Know' in the Remember/Know procedure?

Familiarity only, mainly semantic.

What does 'Don't Know' indicate in the Remember/Know procedure?

I don't know if I have encountered the stimulus before, indicating neither recollection nor familiarity.

Implicit Memory

Memories we are not consciously aware of

Procedural Memory

Memory for performing practiced skills

Procedural Memory Example

playing an instrument

Priming

presentation of one stimulus (priming stimulus) changes the way a person responds to another stimulus (test stimulus)

Repetition Priming

test stimulus is the same as the priming stimulus

Repetition Priming Ex.

dog and dog: repetition of dog (same stimulus); makes you think of dog later on

Associative Priming

Related concepts activate each other in memory.

Associative Priming Ex.

dog and cat: activate related concepts; dog relates to cat; must be related concepts; not repeated

Conditioning

Neutral stimulus paired with response-eliciting stimulus.