SEMANTIC AND EPISODIC MEMORIES

In this case, therefore, memory is perceived as the process of drawing from the past to perform an activity or use the information drawn in the present situation. Most of the decisions made by humans are based on memories. The different parts of the brain support different types of memories. The different memories are attributed to time and how they are used. A sum up of the different types of memories indicates that there are three main types, sensory, short-term and long-term memory. These memories are indisputable and therefore are not based on personal experience or emotions of the individual. Semantic memory is based on historical and scientific facts that the individual gains over time but not through their participation in the ever.

In such cases, it can be perceived as being acquired from the environmental known ideas and facts. Semantic memory is considered to be both a phylogenetically and an ontologically older system (Zimmermann, Semantic Memory: Definition & Examples). It has existed in human, but it is different from other mammal’s concepts. Since an ostrich cannot fly, the name is extracted from the category of birds, but the attributes such as flight are not. In this case, the nodes are only connected to retrieve the information about the characteristics of the bird. In this model, the attributes of the object are used in the generalization of similar objects with similar attributes despite some few unique qualities. Smith’s Feature Overlap Model, this model explains the meaning of different work through the decomposition of the constituted words or elements in it.

It focuses on the feature. This is different from the autobiographical episodic memory which is based on a given autobiography. One can recall when they first saw a river but cannot recall when they learn that a river is a water source. The former recollection of time and place at exact measurement is an autobiographical episodic memory while the latter is semantic memory. Semantic memory is shared and therefore cannot be a personal experience. Almost every individual knows the difference between the colors and therefore their names. This encoding process allows the memory to be retrieved later in both short term or long term cases. Encoding is a biological process that begins with the perception collected through one’s senses. Consolidation is the next step which involves engraining the memory in the brain to be stored for access later.

Lastly is recollection. This process allows the memory to be retrieved by the brain and used in a given situation or context. Each of this perspective determines the details available of the event or the activity. In the same case, episodic memories fall into categories such as lifetime events, general events, specific events. All these are recorded with different details as collected or perceived by the subject (Conway). All these areas of a lifetime, particular events, and general events, form the overall size of the memory in the matter. It also relates to the life story of the subject through the combination of these memories. The reason raised as to why these words were retained better was because of the consolidation and integration taking place between the two memory levels and not just one (Takashima, A.

, et al. However most of the words remembered were those whose meaning was learnt together with the word and not just all novel words leant in the process. In memory retention, some attributes of semantic memories are saved as episodic memory. This implies that the general attributes of the semantic memory are used in the creation of the episodic memories in the brain. In Theoretical perspectives on autobiographical memory (pp. Springer, Dordrecht. Jones, Michael N. , Jon Willits and Simon Dennis. "Models of Semantic Memory. "Episodic memory and beyond: the hippocampus and neocortex in transformation. " Annual review of psychology, 67 (2016): 105-134. Piolino, P. , B. Desgranges and F. "The basic-system model of episodic memory. " Perspectives on psychological science (2006). http://journals. sagepub. com/doi/pdf/10.