20 — Amnesia and Implicit Memory

Flashcards about Amnesia and Implicit Memory

What are the two types of amnesia?

Anterograde and Retrograde

What is anterograde amnesia?

Inability to form new memories

What is retrograde amnesia?

Loss of past memories

Damage to what brain area results in amnesia?

Medial temporal lobes

What type of memory remains intact in anterograde amnesia?

Implicit memory

What specific brain area is damaged in anterograde amnesia?

Hippocampus

What are some causes of anterograde amnesia?

Surgery, Korsakoff’s Syndrome, viral infection, stroke

What are some causes of retrograde amnesia?

Brain trauma, stroke, infection, alcohol intoxication, hypoxia

What is temporal grading in retrograde amnesia?

Forgetting the 1-2 hours prior to the damage

Who was patient HM?

Henry Molaison

Why did HM have surgery?

To treat severe seizures

What part of HM's brain was removed?

Medial temporal lobes bilaterally

Who studied HM extensively?

Brenda Milner and colleagues

What type of amnesia did HM develop?

Severe anterograde amnesia

Were HM's old memories affected?

Mostly spared

Was HM's IQ affected by the surgery?

No

What conversation ability remained in HM?

He could follow a short conversation

What type of learning was still intact in HM?

Procedural/implicit/skill learning

What is an example of intact skill learning in HM?

Mirror-drawing task

What type of amnesia did Clive Wearing have?

Retrograde and anterograde (global amnesia)

What is implicit memory sometimes called?

"Muscle memory", procedural memory

What is classical conditioning?

Learning through association

What is the unconditioned stimulus (UCS)?

Stimulus that elicits a natural behavior response

What is the unconditioned response (UCR)?

Response elicited from the UCS

What is the conditioned stimulus (CS)?

Stimulus that doesn’t elicit the UCR originally but does after pairing

What is operant conditioning?

Animal has to "do" something (has to "operate")

What happens to the behavior if an animal is rewarded?

behavior reinforced

What happens to the behavior if an animal is punished?

behavior undermined

What is priming?

Exposure to one stimulus influences a response to a subsequent stimulus

What brain area is involved in motor skills/implicit memory?

Cerebellum