PSYC 309 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Episodic Memory, Explicit Memory, Motor Learning
Document Summary
Nyt lec 6 article: m. , an unforgettable amnesiac, dies at 82. 1953: had brain operation to correct seizures profound amnesia, can"t form new memories. Amnesia didn"t change his intellect or personality but couldn"t hold a job, lived in the moment. At the time scientists believed memory was throughout brain, brain lesions altered memory in unpredictable ways. At first thought hm"s memory problems couldn"t all be from surgery, thought effects from seizures or unrecognized damage too. Declarative memory: records names, faces, new experiences until consciously retrieved. Motor learning system: subconscious; why you can ride a bike after years. Hm"s short term memory fine: could hold onto thoughts for 20 seconds. Holding onto thoughts without hippocampus impossible for hm. Hm could do day to day tasks with memory from first 27 years of life. Sensed he was contributing to a larger endeavor, not sure of details, bc of all the scientists in his life.
