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Writer's pictureRomit Chunduri

Memory: Declarative and Nondeclarative


Hello everyone, and welcome to my ninth blog post. Today we will be talking in-depth about the different types of long-term memory, specifically declarative and nondeclarative memory.


Long-term memory is the storing of information over a lengthy period of time. This sort of memory is usually steady and can continue for a long time—often years. This type of memory can be divided into two categories: declarative and nondeclarative memory.

Declarative Memory:

Declarative memory is also known as explicit memory since it stores information explicitly and requires deliberate effort to recall. This implies that you are cognizant of storing and recalling information. It is a type of long-term memory that consists of conscious information such as knowing that the capital of the United States is Washington D.C. and that lions are animals.

There are two parts of the brain that are responsible for controlling declarative memory and they are the prefrontal cortex and the hippocampus. Declarative memory, in addition, can be broken down into two other types of memory known as episodic memory and semantic memory

Episodic Memory

The episodic memory focuses on life experiences that a person has encountered throughout his or her life. These are the memories that are stored in the limbic system. This will use one's recollection but will undoubtedly not account for obvious facts and statistics. Examples include:

  • The recollection of what you ate for breakfast today

  • First day of school

  • It might be an unforgettable, terrible recollection of an accident.

Semantic Memory

Semantic memory is heavily focused on factual and conceptual information about the world and how it is conveyed in language. So, in essence, it promotes the ability to engage in terms of language. This comprises language knowledge as well as conceptual information. Rather, broad knowledge is also considered. Examples include:

  • Calculating the monthly grocery budget with easy strategies.

  • Understanding how to put words together to form a sentence.

  • Recognizing the names of colors.

Nondeclarative Memory:

Nondeclarative memory, also known as implicit memory, is a type of long-term memory that is reserved for understanding how to accomplish something. It is described as a "heterogeneous" collection of unconscious learning skills that are exhibited through performance and do not provide access to any conscious memory information. These memories, like declarative memory, rely on past experiences and learning. Examples include:

  • Playing the piano

  • Knowing how to ride a bicycle

  • Knowing how to jump rope

Declarative memory has a lot to do with remembering specific information about the environment and specific information about a certain aspect of one’s life while nondeclarative memory is about knowing how to do certain actions unconsciously because of past experiences.



Works Cited:

  • Khandelwal, Pallavi. “Episodic Memory and Semantic Memory | Facts, Difference and Types.” The Human Memory, 25 Nov. 2020, human-memory.net/episodic-semantic-memory.

  • New. “Declarative Memory.” Simply Psychology, 26 Jan. 2021, www.simplypsychology.org/declarative-memory.html.

  • “Focus on Learning and Memory.” Nature, 24 Sept. 2019, www.nature.com/articles/s41593-019-0509-x?error=cookies_not_supported&code=0bdf3805-fb60-4d00-baff-2537ade4d507.

 

That concludes today's blog; thank you for your interest and desire to study about the types of long-term memory, since knowing these ideas will make it simpler for you to grasp neuroscience. We'll continue our neuroscience trip next time with insight into various other neurological concepts. Do contact me if you have any questions, and please let me know how I can improve my posts to make neuroscience more enjoyable.





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