Talk:Procedural memory

it seems as if there is quite some congruence between this wikipedia-article and the text in this link http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/encyclopedia/P/Pr/Procedural_memory.htm

Language recall

So if I was learning a 2nd language and wanted to recall what I learned, I would need a strong Procedural memory correct? How would one improve his procedural memory?

(I added a title to this question). It would be semantic memory that you're asking about, not procedural memory, I believe. As for improving, hard to say. My guess: learn. The more you learn, the easier it is to learn more, I think it's fair to say. There are also memory strategies one can learn, mnemonic devices like the method of loci that can help you improve recall by taking advantage of the way the brain works (i.e. associatively). digfarenough (talk) 22:16, 8 April 2007 (UTC)[reply]

If recall what he learned would refer to how to make sounds than it would be procedural memory. For instance how to make the sound (TH) at first requires attention, but then may become proceduralized. accessing how to make the sound would be retrieval from procedural memory. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.99.175.226 (talk) 00:09, 25 June 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Muscle memory merge

Just thought I'd throw in my support of the vote to merge muscle memory into this article. digfarenough (talk) 22:16, 8 April 2007 (UTC)[reply]

There are several types of procedural memory, and muscle memory is only one of them. Learning stimulus/response associations is another form of procedural memory that is not motor-based. Therefore I do not think it is scientifically sound to merge it with muscle memory, since that is only one type of procedural memory.— Preceding unsigned comment added by Lathomas (talk • contribs)

(I assume you didn't mean to start a new section with the title "=" so I moved your response up and indented it: I apologize if that isn't what was intended). I think the better solution would be to have muscle memory redirect here and simply include "muscle memory" as a subtype of procedural memory on this page. My personal feeling is that stimulus-response learning is striatal and that so-called "muscle memory" is the same, so that ultimately it is safe to consider them the same thing (but perhaps I'm just restating that they are both procedural). I am somewhat biased by the fact that I think the muscle memory page is in very poor shape and that merging here would provide a good chance to cut out a lot of it and just keep the good parts. Out of curiosity, can you think of a good example of stimulus-response learning that you could consider clearly distinct from "muscle memory"? I can think of a few examples, but they aren't very good so maybe I'm missing something obvious. digfarenough (talk) 01:29, 10 April 2007 (UTC)[reply]

No no no! Terrible idea for a merge! Muscle memory has nothing to do with procedural memory, or memory at all for that matter, it is a completely discreet faculty.— Preceding unsigned comment added by 149.157.1.184 (talk)

Could you give an example of something that is muscle memory and not procedural memory? digfarenough (talk) 14:32, 1 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Please don't make the merger. The subjects lend themselves to a search much better having two different titles. I would never have thought to do a search on muscle memory. As a suggestion, you could, rather, simply add a "muscle memory" link to the "See also*" at the bottom of the page. 142.46.196.22 19:27, 30 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I do not think it is appropriate to mix both memories....

I think it's a bad idea to merge the two. Muscle memory is a physiological response to a stimulus. Procedural memory on the other hand, while often unconscious, is still controlled by information stored in long term memory. 123.243.241.155 17:27, 18 June 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Memory is physiological. Muscles don't have the sort of memory implied by "muscle memory"--they do not remember. As far as I'm aware, muscle memory is strictly contained in procedural memory. I asked for an example to the contrary above, but no one ever posted one. Even if you can't provide a specific example, can you provide a reputable source that claims the two are distinct? digfarenough (talk) 01:07, 20 June 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I have never heard of "muscle memory" but procedural memory is a very basic concept in cognitive psychology that every psychology undergraduate student knows. I do not believe that these two articles should be combined. Procedural memory is an important psychological concept. Look up any undergraduate psych textbook (you won't see 'muscle memory' mentioned).

As seen above there are people who've heard of one and not the other. For that reason alone I would think that keeping them separate BUT with appropriate cross links would serve the community better. My still limited understanding of the processes suggest that persons looking at "muscle memory" would tend to be interested from the view point of sports whereas "procedural memory" seems to be more oriented toward cognitive issues such as language.