Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society

Table of Contents - 01 September 2010 - Volume 16, Issue 05  

Short Review

Interdependence of episodic and semantic memory: Evidence from neuropsychology

DANIEL L. GREENBERGa1 c1 and MIEKE VERFAELLIEa1

a1 Memory Disorders Research Center, VA Boston Healthcare System and Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts

Abstract

Tulving’s (1972) theory of memory draws a distinction between general knowledge (semantic memory) and memory for events (episodic memory). Neuropsychological studies have generally examined each type of memory in isolation, but theorists have long argued that these two forms of memory are interdependent. Here we review several lines of neuropsychological research that have explored the interdependence of episodic and semantic memory. The studies show that these forms of memory can affect each other both at encoding and at retrieval. We suggest that theories of memory should be revised to account for all of the interdependencies between episodic and semantic memory; they should also incorporate forms of memory that do not fit neatly into either category. (JINS, 2010, 16, 748–753.)

(Received April 09 2010)

(Reviewed June 01 2010)

(Accepted June 02 2010)

Keywords

Correspondence:

c1 Correspondence and reprint requests to: Daniel L. Greenberg, Memory Disorders Research Center, 150 S. Huntington Avenue (151-A), Boston, Massachusetts 02130. E-mail: dlg@bu.edu

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