Long term memory

1. K.SANDHIYA
1st MSC APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY

2. WHAT IS MEMORY?
•The process of recovering
information about past events
or knowledge.
•Memory is the term given to
the structures and processes
involved in the storage and
subsequent retrieval of
information.
•Memory is essential to
all our lives.

3. “ Memory is the process of
maintaining information overtime”
(Matlin,2005)
“Memory is the mean by which we
draw on our past experiences in
order to use this information in the
present”
(Sternberg,1999)
DEFINITION

4. How does memory work?
Encoding
Storage
Retrieval
Three major processes involved in memory

5. TYPES OF MEMORY

6. LONGTERM MEMORY
• Long-term memory (LTM) refers to the
unlimited, continuing memory store that
can hold information over lengthy periods
of time, even for an entire lifetime

7. • Storage of information for a longtime.
• Final stage in the processing of memory.
• System for permanently storing.
• Managing and retrieving information for
later use.
• Decays very little with time and it is
easier to recall.
CONT…..

8. TYPES OF LONGTERM MEMORY

9. Explicit Memory
Also called as ‘Declarative Memory’
 Refers to all the memories and information
that can be evoked consciously.
The encoding is done in the hippocampus but
they are stored somewhere in the temporal
lobe of the brain.
The medial temporal lobe is also involved in
this type of memory and damage to MTL is
linked to poor explicit memory.

10. Explicit or declarative memory is divided into
two types: episodic and semantic memory.
• Episodic Memory
–Episodic memory stores information about
events that happen in a person’s life.
– It refers to knowing the time and place and
details of events.
–Some examples of episodic memory would
be the memory of 1st love proposal or first
day of college, or memory of tour to your
favorite place and all the events that
happened there.

11. • Semantic Memory
–Semantic memory is responsible for the
storage of factual information such as the
meaning of words or general knowledge of
things.
–An example of semantic memory would be
knowing that Jupiter is the biggest planet of
the solar system.
– Semantic memory involves conscious
thought.

13. Implicit Memory
Also called as ‘Non declarative memory’.
Implicit memory is the opposite of declarative
memory.
It refers to the movement of the body in using objects.
An example of implicit memory would be how to ride
a bicycle.
Several brain areas which include basal ganglia,
parietal and occipital regions are involved in implicit
memory.
Writing, riding, driving, and swimming are all
examples of implicit memory because they are non-
declarative.

14. 1. Procedural Memory
– Memory of motor skills and it is responsible for
knowing how to do things.
– This memory is automatic i.e. it works at an
unconscious level.
– For example, riding a bicycle is a type of procedural
memory.
2. Associative Memory
– Refers to the storage and retrieval of specific
information through association.
– The acquisition of this type of memory is carried out
with two types of conditioning.
– One is classical conditioning and the other is operant
conditioning.
There are four types of Implicit memory

15. • Classical conditioning
refers to the learning
process in which stimuli
and behavior are
associated.
• On the other side, operant
conditioning is a learning
process in which new
behaviors develop
according to the
consequences.

16. 3. Non-associative
– It refers to the learning of new behaviors mainly
through repeated exposure to a single type of stimuli.
– The new behavior is classified into habituation and
sensitization.
– Habituation is the decrease in response to repeated
stimuli while sensitization is an increased response to
repeated stimuli.
4. Priming
– Studies have shown that exposure to certain stimuli
influences the response of a person to stimuli that are
presented later.
– This effect of previous memory on new information is
what we call priming.

17. MEMORY ENCODING
• Memory encoding refers to the changing of
sensory stimuli or information so that it can
be stored and retrieved.
• The information undergoes this process so
that it can become a part of long-term
storage.
• The properly encoded information is very
easy to be recalled.

18. Types
• There are three main types of memory
encoding: visual, acoustic, and semantic.
1. Visual encoding is converting a visual
stimulus to store the information in the brain.
 This information is first stored in the
visuospatial sketchpad.
 Then, it is temporarily stored in working or
iconic memory before its storage in long-term
memory.

19. 2. Acoustic encoding refers to the encoding
of acoustic information to understand the
acoustic aspects of an event.
 It is the processing of sounds, words, and
other auditory information to store that
information in long-term memory.
 An important part of acoustic information
is the phonological loop.
.

20. 3. Information that has a particular meaning or
context is processed in a way that is called
semantic encoding.
 Concepts, Ideas, and terms are some
examples of semantic information.
 The semantically encoded information is
relatively easy to be retrieved.
 There are also some other types of memory
encoding which may include tactile encoding,
etc

21. Capacity and duration of Long-term
Memory
• So how much information can be stored in the
brain in the form of long-term memory? And
for how much time?

22. • It depends on several factors.
• Generally, scientists believe that a human
brain can store an unlimited amount for a
duration that may go beyond decades.
• The first factor that influences the
duration of long-term memory is the way
memory was encoded.
• Another factor is the retrieval of
memory.

23. • This is probably the reason for better
retrieval of information that is repeated
and practiced again and again.
• Giving attention and focus to the
information makes it stick to the brain
for a relatively long time.
• The capacity of long-term memory is
thought to have no limits.

24. Changes in Long-term Memories
• Long-term memories are not
permanently stored in their
original condition.
• Re-encoding of memories have a
great impact on their storage.
Details of the memory may
change due to re-encoding.

25. • Previously, it was believed that only the cortex
of the brain stores long-term information.
• Now we know that they are stored in different
regions throughout the brain and other parts of
the nervous system depending upon their type.
• When neurotransmitters are activated in the
brain, a process called chemotaxis
communicates the message to every part of the
body.
• This communication is done basically through
blood and cerebrospinal fluid. In this way,
some memory may also get stored in muscles.
STORAGE

26. Ways to Improve Long-term
Memory
Attention
Good Night-Sleep
Exercise
Retrieval
Visualization

27. Recap..
LONG TERM MEMORY
INFORMATION STORED FOR LONG
TIME
EASILY RECALLED
explicit implicit
recalled
consciously
episodic memories,
semantic memories.
events
facts
cannot be
recalled consciously
Riding,writing etc

28. encoded in three ways.
Visual encoding
Acoustic encoding
Semantic encoding
visual stimuli or information
audio information
concepts and ideas
capacity
Unlimited
number of times it recalled
Storage
not stored in one specific region
circuits throughout the nervous system.

29. REFERENCES
Goldstein, E. Bruce, 1941- (2015). Cognitive
psychology : connecting mind, research and
everyday experience (4th ed.). New york:
Cengage learning. ISBN 978-
1285763880. OCLC 885178247.
Atkinson, R.C.; Shiffrin, R.M. (1968). Chapter:
Human memory: A proposed system and its
control processes. Psychology of Learning and
Motivation. 2. pp. 89–195. doi:10.1016/s0079-
7421(08)60422-3. ISBN 9780125433020.