HM Case Study

Henry Molaison

Brain injury as a child

Severe epilepsy as an adult

Tried a risky and 'new' treatment -> removed his whole hippocampus.

Left with memory impairments

Case study

A mixed methodology approach to studying and understanding a specific person or situation.


In-depth

Narrow focus

Longitudinal

Multiple forms of data

Used to generate theories/avenues for research

Intrinsic

- unique, insight into a particular phenomenon

Types of case study

Intrinsic and Instrumental

Instrumental

common experience e.g homelessness, grief,

Type of sampling for this case study

Purposive
Deliberate, researcher selected

Cognitive psychologists made what conclusions from this case study?

Once memory has been stored in the long-term it can be recovered regardless of the injuries sustained to the brain.

Even without being able to form memories associations can still be made
Mnemonic devices for memory
Distractions make it harder to learn something

Memory and intelligence are not linked

Stimuli isn't remembered but it is used to trigger certain memories that are already stored in the long term.

Biological psychologists made what conclusions from this case study?

The hippocampus is only needed to make the new memories long-term however it isn't needed to retrieve them from its storage.

The hippocampus, amygdala, and the adjacent parahippocampal gyrus were all affected for HM
It's possible that all or some of them affect memory instead of the hippocampus

There are probably certain pathways in the brain that react to certain stimuli that they associate with the memory
So memories are retrieved not by the hippocampus but due to external stimuli.

IQ has no relationship/an insignificant relationship with memory
At least that's what is conveyed in this case study