I Remember
Long-Term Memory: A Primer
“Sweetie, I haven’t knitted in thirty years,” my mother-in-law said to my daughter, who had asked for help with a certain maneuver. “I don’t think I’ll be able to do — oh! Would you look at that, I’m knitting again.” As if those thirty years had never happened, the needles were once again flying in her hands.
This ability to pick up an old activity without too much conscious thought is a clear example of long-term procedural memory. It’s like – well, it’s like riding a bike. At Larabee, we talk a lot about different types of knowledge and learning, but truth be told there’s nothing we find more compelling than the notion of memory. When it comes to actions and skills, enabling do-ability is one thing. Enabling memory is entirely another.
Below, we briefly share our summaries and thoughts on three different types of memory, and why they matter.
Procedural Memory. Otherwise known as implicit memory, this is non-conscious memory that is often, but not limited to physical actions like driving a car or tying shoes. More on this exceptional type of memory below.
Episodic Memory. Episodic memory has to do with autobiographical events, life histories, and times and places associated with these events. These memories have a tendency to be emotionally charged, and what’s more, it’s not just the event that is recalled but the entire context surrounding the event.
Prospective Memory. This type of memory looks forward in reference to past repetitions. This could be in anticipation of something that happens daily, like a 3PM cup tea with a slice of cake. Or it could be more spread out, like looking forward to peaches in the summer or the feeling of crispness in the air ahead of the first snow of the year.
Types of Human Memory
Diagram by Luke Mastin
The main difference between declarative and procedural memory, according to neuroscientist Dr. Ullman of Georgetown University, is where it resides in the brain. For example, the definition of a word (explicit memory) “depends on the largely temporal-lobe substrates of declarative memory” whereas mental grammar (implicit memory) depends on the basal ganglia, “which supports the learning of motor and cognitive skills, especially those involving sequences” (Ullman, 2001, italics added).
In other words: Different parts of the brain are specialized for different types of memory.
In other, OTHER words: What you’re learning (e.g. state capitals, julienning a carrot) and the extent to which you’re learning it (for tomorrow’s exam or forever) impacts how and where it gets stored.
According to Dr. Ullman, a lot of what’s learned in the basal ganglia (procedural memory) “takes more time to learn, but when you do, you don’t forget it.” Also, just because it’s an action that you’re learning does not mean it’s strictly procedural. Verbalizing an action as you explain it is explicit information, which shows you that the act of learning is multidimensional and complex.
Episodic memory is the recollection of personal experiences and episodes in the past. It falls under the category of declarative memory because it can be consciously recalled and described. The fascinating thing about episodic memory is the depth of contextual elements are brought to the fore. You remember not just the episode, but what you were wearing, the color of the rug you were standing on, who was right next to you, the music that was playing in the background, how you were feeling in that moment.
Because it can be consciously recalled and explicitly described, episodic memory falls under the category of declarative memory. (The other type of declarative memory is called semantic memory, which has to do with the aforementioned category of factual knowledge like capital cities, social customs, math symbols, etc.)
There are many fascinating things about episodic memory, such as how easily and involuntarily it can be triggered by smell or sound — the aroma of tar that takes one back to playing on a school blacktop, or the 90s ballad that played during prom. Another fascinating aspect of episodic memory is its connection to our sense of self and personal identity. Episodic memory turns into the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves. They help us remember past events, but also contribute to our self-awareness and the narrative of our lives.
Lastly, prospective memory. This type of memory is often used to describe one’s ability to remember things that will happen in the future, like picking up the kids from school at the right time. The anthropologist David Sutton frames prospective memory specifically in the realm of food and cooking, describing it as planning “in the present to remember food events in the future” (Sutton, 2001). My interpretation of prospective memory in this sense is planning events of importance (be it a simple afternoon tea or annual community festival) as a way to create continuity between the past, present, and future.
These categories of memory thrill and excite us because of just how rich, complex, and human they are. All of these memory systems speak to the vibrant tapestry of what it means to be alive. When you think about learning and acquiring knowledge, go beyond semantic information (facts and terminologies) and think of the myriad ways in which the human brain and sense of self can be engaged and activated.
Lastly, for funsies:
