part of declarative memory. Procedural memory, on the other hand, refers to memories relating to procedures for accomplishing various tasks and skills such as how to ride a bicycle, how to make tea or play basketball. Facts retained in the declarative memory are amenable to verbal descriptions while contents of procedural memory cannot be described easily. For example, when asked you can describe how the game of cricket is played but if someone asks you how do you ride a bicycle, you may find it difficult to narrate.
Tulving has proposed yet another classification and has suggested that the declarative memory can either be Episodic or Semantic . Episodic memory contains biographical details of our lives. Memories relating to our personal life experiences constitute the episodic memory and it is for this reason that its contents are generally emotional in nature. How did you feel when you stood first in your class?
Or how angry was your friend and what did s/he say when you did not fulfil a promise? If such incidents did actually happen in your life, you perhaps will be able to answer these questions with reasonable accuracy. Although such experiences are hard to forget, yet it is equally true that many events take place continuously in our lives and that we do not remember all of them. Besides, there are painful and unpleasant experiences which are not remembered in as much detail as pleasant life experiences.
The study of memory is a fascinating field and researchers have reported many new phenomena. The following phenomena show the complex and dynamic nature of human memory. Flashbulb Memories : These are memories of events that are very arousing or surprising. Such memories are very detailed.
They are like a photo taken with an advanced model camera. You can push the button, and after one minute you have a recreation of the scene. You can look at the photograph whenever you want. Flashbulb memories are like images frozen in memory and tied to particular places, dates, and times.
Perhaps, people put in greater effort in the formation of these memories,