1. Topic 2 – Cognitive Psychology
Lesson six: Explanation of Long Term Memory – episodic and semantic memory Tulving, 1972)

2. Tulving (1972) Episodic and semantic memory
This is the third model of memory we will look at
Tulving proposed that LTM memory was divided into two memory stores: episodic and semantic memory
Each store is qualitatively different in terms of the nature of stored memories, time referencing, associations between memories, and the nature of retrieving/recalling information
What is semantic?
What is episodic?

3. Nature of semantic and episodic memory
Semantic memory: Examples?
Tulving – mental encyclopaedia
Words, facts, rules
Meanings and concepts organises as a body of knowledge
Memories associated with other facts that link the concepts together
E.g. school and learning
Your own examples?
These links are based on memories of facts that have been leaned at some earlier time
June follows may on the calendar
Episodic:
Tulving – mental diary
Receives and stores information about experiences of events that occur at a time in our life
Linked to time and context

4. Time referencing:
Memories about events that are linked to the time in which they occurred
Factual information can be remembered without reference to when it was learned
Which fact relates to episodic and sematic memory?
Spatial referencing:
Memories are fragmentary. We can piece together factual information that had been learned at different times.
Memories are continuous as we experience an event in a temporal frame of reference
Retrieval:
Memory is dependent on the context in which the event was learned. This context aids the retrieval of the memory
Memory is not dependent on the context therefore retrieval of the memories is not context dependent

5. Are the stores interrelated?
Is one store dependent on the other?
Is one independent?
Examples of semantic memory
Examples of episodic memory

6. Which memories are semantic or episodic?
Reminiscing about your first kiss
Knowing how to use scissors
Recalling your first day of school
Remembering what a dog is
Knowing your lab partner in college chemistry class
Knowing how to use the phone
Recalling the guests at your best friend’s 18th birthday party
Knowing that grass is green

7. Evaluation
Supporting evidence suggests the disassociation between sematic and episodic memory
Suggests one store can be affected without affecting the other
Ostergaard (1987)
Summarise and explain how it supports Tulving’s theory regarding semantic and episodic
KF case study (not KC!)
Summarise and explain how it supports
Criticise supporting evidence
(using individual differences box)

8. Application – why is this explanation useful?
Pg. 101 –wider issues and debates
Cue dependent recall
Kenealy (1997) or Godden and Baddeley (1975)
How can this be useful?

9. Reductionism pg. 102
Case studies such as HM and Clive Wearing highlight limitations
Why?
Also page 102 (second to last paragraph)
Can you identify the problem and relate it to reductionism?

10. H/W task
One strength and one weakness (4 marks) Choose the ‘strongest’ evaluation points P C
Summary of difference between episodic and semantic – table
Episodic
Semantic
Example
Time referencing
Retrieval