Issues in LTM

Psychology B

Memory

Issues in long term memory

Having considered di= fferent processes in memory and factors affecting memory, we will now look in more detail at some issues specific to long term memory.

Flashbulb memory

Brown and Kulik (197= 7) use the term ‘flashbulb memory’ to describe events which the vast majority of the population remember very clearly, even many years after they occurred.

Where were you:

When Princes Diana died?=

When the planes hit the twin towers?<= /o:p>

When the London tube bombings happened?

When the Pakistan/Kashmir earthquake happe= ned?

Which of these event= s do you remember most clearly? Which do you remember least clearly?

Why do you think thi= s is?

Brown and Kulik argu= ed that for memories to become ‘flashbulb’ memories they must be surpri= sing and relevant to the individual; Conway et al (1994) found that ‘flash= bulb’ memories which were not relevant to the individual (e.g. events which happe= ned in another country) were less detailed and less accurate. Is this the case = with your memories?

Autobiographical memories and collective memori= es

We looked at autobiographical memories when we considered our memories of Christmas as a child; these are memories which we retain about our own lives. Studies have shown that when older people are asked about autobiographical memories (age= d 50 and aged 70), they can recall far more from the first 30 years of their liv= es than from the latter part of their lives.

Why might this ‘reminiscence bump’ occur? Discuss in small groups and write yo= ur answers below:

<= /span>

<= /span>

<= /span>

<= /span>

<= /span>

<= /span>

<= /span>

<= /span>

<= /span>

<= /span>

Collective memories

When we discussed ch= ildhood Christmases, we said that our memories may not be entirely accurate –= not because we are particularly forgetful, or because we are liars, but because= our long term, autobiographical memories often become collective memories ̵= 1; they belong to ‘us’ in terms of our family as much as ‘us’ as individuals.

Can you think of exa= mples of collective memories in your own family? This may be funny stories, or ̵= 1; particularly if you are the youngest child – embarrassing things they like to say about you!

Gergen (1999) applie= s this theory of collective memory to wider groups of people, and argues that enti= re populations can come to believe different versions of their own history.

Collective memory: the battle of Culloden

What do you know a= bout the battle of Culloden? Who was involved in the fighting, and who won? What happened next?

Your tutor will prov= ide you with an excerpt from the BBC history website giving a very brief explanatio= n of what happened at Culloden. Did this match your own view of events? If not, = why not? What factors might contribute to collective ‘forgetting’ or reshaping of events?

Atypical memory

In the past, scienti= sts were largely dependent on animal experimentation to explore memory failure relat= ing to problems with the brain. Lashley (1929, 1950) established a link between brain lesions and memory using rats and mazes, finding that the rats performance worsened as different areas of the brain were damaged, but he w= as unable to identify the specific parts of the brain which contributed to memory.

Studies of humans wi= th specific head injuries, and, in recent decades, ‘non-intrusive’ research methods such as brain scans have enabled us to learn more about the brain and memory, and scientists argue that rather than having one site in = the brain for all ‘memory’ functions, there are actually several different areas of the brain dealing with memory. For example, while proced= ural memory (e.g. how to write) might be stored in the cerebellum, declarative memory (e.g. your tutor’s name) is stored in the amygdala and hypothalamus.

The hippocampus R= 11; a part of the mid brain – is responsible for consolidating memories, linking new information to stored information and vice versa. Scientists ha= ve linked Alzheimer’s disease – a distressing condition which invo= lves the deterioration of memory – with the loss and damage of neurons in = this area of the brain.

There’s so m= uch to remember for this unit, my brain hurts…

<= /span>

Well, spare a thou= ght for London taxi dri= vers, who must pass ‘the Knowledge’ in order to drive a licensed Hackney cab. Maguire et al (1997) used PET scans, a non-intrusive brain s= can, to study what drivers’ brains did while the drivers visualised rout= es to and from particular locations. The scans showed activity in the right hippocampus, and when further scans were carried out, they discovered that this area of the drivers’ brains was actually larger than that of control participants!

<= /span>

Using memory in society

Clearly, we all rely= on our memories in day to day life – if you have known relatives or friends = with Alzheimer’s or brain injuries affecting memory, you will know how devastating memory loss can be not just to the individual, but to their fam= ily and friends.

Psychological knowle= dge and understanding of memory therefore has a clear application in the field of health, in helping individuals and their carers to adapt to brain injuries = and illnesses resulting in memory loss.

Theories of memory c= an also be applied in wider society, particularly in education and in certain occupations. Working in small groups, try to think of examples.<= /span>