Procedural memory is the knowledge of how to perform certain activities or procedures, which become automatic with repetition. Declarative memory is fact-based and easily verbalized, with two subtypes: semantic and episodic. Procedural and declarative memory are controlled by different parts of the brain and can function independently. Procedural memories can shape a person’s character and require conscious effort to change.
Procedural memory refers to knowing certain activities or procedures, which eventually become automatic with repetition and practice. This type of memory is often used without conscious thought or planning and is therefore very difficult to verbalize. Often, the best way to effectively explain procedural memory is to perform a particular task or action. Examples of such memories include knowing how to ride a bicycle, how to swim, or how to play a musical instrument.
The kind of knowledge acquired as procedural memory tends to last a long time. For example, once a person has learned to ride a bicycle, he may not ride a bicycle for many years, but the memory will come back immediately the moment he tries to ride a bicycle. Most procedural skills are therefore considered long-term procedural memories.
Declarative memory is distinct from procedural memory because it refers to fact-based memory and is easily verbalized. Due to it being more language based than procedural memory, declarative memory is also more easily forgotten unless used consistently. There are two basic subtypes of declarative memory: semantic and episodic.
Semantic memory is related to understanding meanings or concepts and is generally not personally relevant. An example of this is the understanding that a pen is an instrument used for writing. Episodic memory is more personal and involves remembering events from an autobiographical perspective.
Procedural learning appears to be affected by damage to particular areas of the brain, such as the cerebellum and basal ganglia. By examining people with brain injuries, researchers have shown that the formation of procedural and declarative memory appears to be controlled by different parts of the brain. Studies have also shown that these memory systems can function independently of each other.
An example of how procedural and declarative systems work independently is the case of a brain-injured patient who is constantly trained to learn a specific task and can remember details of his training, but fails to improve at the task. This is an example of corrupted procedural memory but working declarative memory. On the other hand, a patient with functioning procedural memory but impaired declarative memory would not remember the task training, but would show improved performance of the particular task.
Some schools of thought believe that procedural memories shape a person’s character. The basis of this way of thinking is that by learning certain behaviors or emotional responses, they become automatic responses to specific situations. This can be good in the case of good habits, but it can also mean that bad behaviors are very resistant to change. From this perspective, a significant conscious effort is required to practice and relearn a new positive behavior until the negative one is replaced.
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