<p>First we need to establish the link between crystallized intelligence and the types of memory. Long term memory can be divided in two parts: Procedural and declarative. <a href="https://i.sstatic.net/PkUIG.gif" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/PkUIG.gif" alt="Types of long term memory"></a></p>

<p>Episodic memory is recollection of events, semantic memory is recollection of learned facts, and procedural memory includes priming, classical conditioning, skill based learning etc and does not require intentional or conscious recollection of an experience (1).</p>

<p>Among these types, Howard and Kahana's model of temporal context theory is only applicable to the declarative branch (2). </p>

<p>The answer to the question depends on which type of problem solving we are talking about. All three types of memories get used during learning. Problem solving requires skill based learning. But we must also remember a lot of facts in order to solve certain real world problems. Practical experiences also come in handy. However, if we can recall all the related facts but still fail to solve a problem, that indicates poor skill-building. According to Cattell‘s (1971, 1987) Gf-Gc theory, fluid intelligence causes crystallized intelligence (5). therefore, low fluid intelligence might be a reason behind poor skill based learning.</p>

<p>"failure to transfer skill from Hippocampus to cortex" is not likely to happen because skills do not seem to have any short-term and long-term phases. Excerpts from a recent study (6):</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>We have shown that when people adapt to successive and opposing sensorimotor transformations, they fail to consolidate learning of the first even when the two transformations or tasks are separated by 24 hr.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>From a meta-analysis (4): </p>

<blockquote>
  <p>This implies that a procedural memory may never become fully stable and instead remains vulnerable to interference. When exposed to task B, participants may have retrieved the procedural memory associated with task A and modified it, ‘overwriting’ the memory for task A with information relevant to task B............ It implies that learning a new skill leads to the automatic destruction of another skill. It would never be possible to have skill in more than one task! Our ability to acquire multiple skills may depend upon having contextual cues available to signal the switch from one task to another. </p>
</blockquote>

<p>This theory proposes that our procedural memory has a completely different type of contextual cue system, one that cannot differentiate between multiple skills as efficiently as episodic memory can. This theory also explains why ADHD is such a barrier in learning.</p>

<p>Now we can guess what type of memory is involved in skill learning: When a new skill is being formed by Gf, it is likely utilizing the info available in short term memory to do so. When a skill is being recalled, It goes to working memory for utilization.</p>

<p>In conclusion: Forgetfulness indicates inefficiency in declarative memory, while poor skills might indicate low Gf and/or poor attention span. </p>

<p>Questions remaining:</p>

<ol>
<li>What causes inefficiency in declarative memory?</li>
<li>How to strengthen our procedural memory? Can practice help?</li>
<li>Why do people who find it easier to learn through practical and struggle to grasp abstract concepts?</li>
</ol>

<p>But these questions deserve new topics.</p>

<hr>

<p>Sources: </p>

<ol>
<li><p>Green REA, Kopelman MD. Neural organization of memory andmemory impairments. In: Trimble MR and Cummings JL, eds. Contemporary behavioural neurology. Boston: ButterworthHeinenman, 1997; 139–152.</p></li>
<li><p><a href="https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/5b83/58754a92cf648f3c5ccea7f34df62bba1e74.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/5b83/58754a92cf648f3c5ccea7f34df62bba1e74.pdf</a></p></li>
<li><p><a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-the-international-neuropsychological-society/article/interdependence-of-episodic-and-semantic-memory-evidence-from-neuropsychology/1A97EFA24F2CDED16D12964AD5EE67F9" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-the-international-neuropsychological-society/article/interdependence-of-episodic-and-semantic-memory-evidence-from-neuropsychology/1A97EFA24F2CDED16D12964AD5EE67F9</a></p></li>
<li><p><a href="http://www.cell.com/current-biology/pdf/S0960-9822(04)00937-6.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">http://www.cell.com/current-biology/pdf/S0960-9822(04)00937-6.pdf</a></p></li>
<li><p><a href="http://ir.uiowa.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2639&amp;context=etd" rel="nofollow noreferrer">http://ir.uiowa.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2639&amp;context=etd</a></p></li>
<li><p><a href="http://www.cns.atr.jp/~kawato/Ppdf/CaithJNS04.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">http://www.cns.atr.jp/~kawato/Ppdf/CaithJNS04.pdf</a></p></li>
</ol>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-04-06T19:45:18.583Z
If this isn't a good answer then I'm producing rubbish haha. Excellent answer. +1 from me
Robin Kramer-ten Have
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-04-21T10:12:04.400Z
@RobinKramer I guess this answer of mine is invalid. If motor skills trigger LTP directly in motor cortex, that means this type of memory still has short term phase, but do not use hippocampus.
Spero
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-04-21T10:37:13.333Z
Visual cortex also exhibits LTP. I wonder if all types of  memory go through LTP in the cortex first, even the declarative ones that come from hippocampus.
Spero
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-04-06T19:22:17.893Z
2017-04-06T19:35:19.453Z
2017-04-06T19:35:19.453Z
Spero
<p>We know that when we process some information or solve some problem, we need to pull information from long term memory to working memory. There are few factors known to me that can cause a failure during retrival:</p>

<ol>
<li>Working memory shortage</li>
<li>poor temporal context</li>
<li>The memory was never transferred to long term memory to begin with</li>
</ol>

<p>Low working memory is something that can be easily diagnosed with Dual n-back tests.</p>

<p>A study on anterograde amnesic patients have shown that they do not appear to have poor temporal order <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0028393281900543" rel="nofollow noreferrer">(5)</a>, which indicates that maybe temporal context is not to blame when people forget things. However, it is possible that this does not apply on all cases.</p>

<p>This leaves the third possibility: that short term memories do not always get transferred to long term memories. Is this a possibility? If yes, then why does it happen?</p>

<hr>

<p>Sources: </p>

<ol>
<li><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2657600/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Types of memory</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.apa.org/monitor/sep05/workout.aspx" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Role of working memory</a></li>
<li><a href="https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/5b83/58754a92cf648f3c5ccea7f34df62bba1e74.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Temporal context</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.nncn.de/en/news/Forschungsergebnisse-en/langzeitgedaechtnisen" rel="nofollow noreferrer">How is information transferred into long-term memory?</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0028393281900543" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Anterograde amnesia and temporal order</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.psych.wustl.edu/cdl/publications/lilienthal_etal_2013.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Dual n-back test</a></li>
</ol>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-04-05T06:23:53.900Z
Hi Spero, You've got an incredible bunch of questions here. If you could narrow your question down to only one of them, it will become far easier for someone to answer it. Then, in a follow up post, you can ask for another one and so on. As is, the question is too broad.
Robin Kramer-ten Have
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-04-05T07:32:34.633Z
Done. Not sure if it turned the question more vague though, because the nature of the question has to leave possibilities open. By shortening it, I am assuming a lot of things that I have no clear idea about..
Spero
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-04-05T07:40:02.137Z
Perfect! You've got a +1 :) Hope that we have someone who can answer your question. And if you have any other questions, feel free to ask them in separate posts of course :)
Robin Kramer-ten Have
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-04-05T12:34:48.343Z
I find it strange that anterograde amnesia has as poor recollection from working memory as normal people have from long term memory (link 5). I used to think that only retrograde amnesia affects the hippocampus.
Spero
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-04-05T16:54:17.140Z
It seems my fear was justified. I have destroyed the question by assuming that crystallized intelligence comes from episodic memory. I think I should study procedural memory, and this question needs to be put oh hold for now.
Spero
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-04-05T19:21:51.943Z
Problem solving through crystallized intelligence depends mostly on procedural memory. Procedural memory does not have short term and long term phases. Check this meta analysis: http://www.cell.com/current-biology/pdf/S0960-9822(04)00937-6.pdf . My personal observations do not tally with this study at all. Not sure how to edit the question to accommodate this. Back to the drawing board I guess.
Spero
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-04-05T19:29:32.657Z
@RobinKramer Funny thing is, it is your response in another question that made me realize how big of a blunder I was making.
Spero
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-04-05T19:43:44.663Z
You just found an answer to your own question. That's perfect, you had an hypothesis, you found an articles that does not support it, and now you learned something. That's life and that's science for you :) If you want you can write up your own answer now. E.g give a brief explanation of the meta analysis you found. Then other people with a similar question can refer to this post. And with this info, if you still have questions, just ask another question in another post and learn a little more :) perhaps one of the other four questions you had.
Robin Kramer-ten Have
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-04-06T19:24:57.477Z
@RobinKramer i did my best to follow your advise. Not sure if it is can be called an answer, but at least now I know what to ask next.
Spero
<long-term-memory><episodic-memory><temporal-context><amnesia>
Low crystalized intelligence- failure to transfer skill from Hippocampus to cortex?
Spero
# Low crystalized intelligence- failure to transfer skill from Hippocampus to cortex?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-04-04)

We know that when we process some information or solve some problem, we need to pull information from long term memory to working memory. There are few factors known to me that can cause a failure during retrival:

1. Working memory shortage
2. poor temporal context
3. The memory was never transferred to long term memory to begin with

Low working memory is something that can be easily diagnosed with Dual n-back tests.

A study on anterograde amnesic patients have shown that they do not appear to have poor temporal order [(5)](http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0028393281900543), which indicates that maybe temporal context is not to blame when people forget things. However, it is possible that this does not apply on all cases.

This leaves the third possibility: that short term memories do not always get transferred to long term memories. Is this a possibility? If yes, then why does it happen?

---

Sources:

1. [Types of memory](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2657600/)
2. [Role of working memory](http://www.apa.org/monitor/sep05/workout.aspx)
3. [Temporal context](https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/5b83/58754a92cf648f3c5ccea7f34df62bba1e74.pdf)
4. [How is information transferred into long-term memory?](http://www.nncn.de/en/news/Forschungsergebnisse-en/langzeitgedaechtnisen)
5. [Anterograde amnesia and temporal order](http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0028393281900543)
6. [Dual n-back test](http://www.psych.wustl.edu/cdl/publications/lilienthal_etal_2013.pdf)

**Tags:** long-term-memory, episodic-memory, temporal-context, amnesia

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Hi username_0, You've got an incredible bunch of questions here. If you could narrow your question down to only one of them, it will become far easier for someone to answer it. Then, in a follow up post, you can ask for another one and so on. As is, the question is too broad.  
> **username_0**: Done. Not sure if it turned the question more vague though, because the nature of the question has to leave possibilities open. By shortening it, I am assuming a lot of things that I have no clear idea about..  
> **username_1**: Perfect! You've got a +1 :) Hope that we have someone who can answer your question. And if you have any other questions, feel free to ask them in separate posts of course :)  
> **username_0**: I find it strange that anterograde amnesia has as poor recollection from working memory as normal people have from long term memory (link 5). I used to think that only retrograde amnesia affects the hippocampus.  
> **username_0**: It seems my fear was justified. I have destroyed the question by assuming that crystallized intelligence comes from episodic memory. I think I should study procedural memory, and this question needs to be put oh hold for now.  
> **username_0**: Problem solving through crystallized intelligence depends mostly on procedural memory. Procedural memory does not have short term and long term phases. Check this meta analysis: http://www.cell.com/current-biology/pdf/S0960-9822(04)00937-6.pdf . My personal observations do not tally with this study at all. Not sure how to edit the question to accommodate this. Back to the drawing board I guess.  
> **username_0**: @RobinKramer Funny thing is, it is your response in another question that made me realize how big of a blunder I was making.  
> **username_1**: You just found an answer to your own question. That's perfect, you had an hypothesis, you found an articles that does not support it, and now you learned something. That's life and that's science for you :) If you want you can write up your own answer now. E.g give a brief explanation of the meta analysis you found. Then other people with a similar question can refer to this post. And with this info, if you still have questions, just ask another question in another post and learn a little more :) perhaps one of the other four questions you had.  
> **username_0**: @RobinKramer i did my best to follow your advise. Not sure if it is can be called an answer, but at least now I know what to ask next.  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_0 on 2017-04-06. Score: 2

First we need to establish the link between crystallized intelligence and the types of memory. Long term memory can be divided in two parts: Procedural and declarative. [![Types of long term memory](https://i.sstatic.net/PkUIG.gif)](https://i.sstatic.net/PkUIG.gif)

Episodic memory is recollection of events, semantic memory is recollection of learned facts, and procedural memory includes priming, classical conditioning, skill based learning etc and does not require intentional or conscious recollection of an experience (1).

Among these types, Howard and Kahana's model of temporal context theory is only applicable to the declarative branch (2).

The answer to the question depends on which type of problem solving we are talking about. All three types of memories get used during learning. Problem solving requires skill based learning. But we must also remember a lot of facts in order to solve certain real world problems. Practical experiences also come in handy. However, if we can recall all the related facts but still fail to solve a problem, that indicates poor skill-building. According to Cattell‘s (1971, 1987) Gf-Gc theory, fluid intelligence causes crystallized intelligence (5). therefore, low fluid intelligence might be a reason behind poor skill based learning.

"failure to transfer skill from Hippocampus to cortex" is not likely to happen because skills do not seem to have any short-term and long-term phases. Excerpts from a recent study (6):

> We have shown that when people adapt to successive and opposing sensorimotor transformations, they fail to consolidate learning of the first even when the two transformations or tasks are separated by 24 hr.

From a meta-analysis (4):

> This implies that a procedural memory may never become fully stable and instead remains vulnerable to interference. When exposed to task B, participants may have retrieved the procedural memory associated with task A and modified it, ‘overwriting’ the memory for task A with information relevant to task B............ It implies that learning a new skill leads to the automatic destruction of another skill. It would never be possible to have skill in more than one task! Our ability to acquire multiple skills may depend upon having contextual cues available to signal the switch from one task to another.

This theory proposes that our procedural memory has a completely different type of contextual cue system, one that cannot differentiate between multiple skills as efficiently as episodic memory can. This theory also explains why ADHD is such a barrier in learning.

Now we can guess what type of memory is involved in skill learning: When a new skill is being formed by Gf, it is likely utilizing the info available in short term memory to do so. When a skill is being recalled, It goes to working memory for utilization.

In conclusion: Forgetfulness indicates inefficiency in declarative memory, while poor skills might indicate low Gf and/or poor attention span.

Questions remaining:

1. What causes inefficiency in declarative memory?
2. How to strengthen our procedural memory? Can practice help?
3. Why do people who find it easier to learn through practical and struggle to grasp abstract concepts?

But these questions deserve new topics.

---

Sources:

1. Green REA, Kopelman MD. Neural organization of memory andmemory impairments. In: Trimble MR and Cummings JL, eds. Contemporary behavioural neurology. Boston: ButterworthHeinenman, 1997; 139–152.
2. <https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/5b83/58754a92cf648f3c5ccea7f34df62bba1e74.pdf>
3. <https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-the-international-neuropsychological-society/article/interdependence-of-episodic-and-semantic-memory-evidence-from-neuropsychology/1A97EFA24F2CDED16D12964AD5EE67F9>
4. <http://www.cell.com/current-biology/pdf/S0960-9822(04)00937-6.pdf>
5. <http://ir.uiowa.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2639&context=etd>
6. <http://www.cns.atr.jp/~kawato/Ppdf/CaithJNS04.pdf>

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: If this isn't a good answer then I'm producing rubbish haha. Excellent answer. +1 from me  
> **username_0**: @RobinKramer I guess this answer of mine is invalid. If motor skills trigger LTP directly in motor cortex, that means this type of memory still has short term phase, but do not use hippocampus.  
> **username_0**: Visual cortex also exhibits LTP. I wonder if all types of  memory go through LTP in the cortex first, even the declarative ones that come from hippocampus.  

---

