So, because my memory has failed me again, this will probably be one of the last blog posts of my class. It was a good thing however, that I caught the little thought of "some blog thing" crossing the back of my brain just in time for the clock to hit 7:00 PM; otherwise, the assignment of Blog Post #1 in the grade book for Psy 1001 would've taken a 0. Chapter 7: Memory-the chapter I was assigned to-was meant just for me!
Chapter 7 explains a wide variety of concepts and issues. A few of these things include the paradox of memory (how it helps and hurts us), the "Three Systems of Memory" (sensory memory, short-term memory, long-term memory), and the Three Processes of Memory. However, the topic that struck me the most within the chapter regarded the concept of amnesia; more specifically, anterograde amnesia, which is losing the capability to form new memories (Lilienfeld, 2010).
Contrary to popular belief, anterograde amnesia is actually a lot more common than its polar opposite, retrograde amnesia (losing memories of our past). The class textbook gives an example of anterograde amnesia through a man name H.M. (only his initials were known until after his death), who was suffering from epileptic seizures. His doctors performed surgery, which removed large areas of his temporal lobes to see if that would control the seizures. This surgery caused his case of anterograde amnesia (he also suffered from retrograde amnesia as well; he couldn't remember 11 prior to the surgery).
Over time, however, H.M. started to show implicit memory. Researchers asked H.M. to trace shapes in a mirror. This simple task proves difficult when first performed, but over time, he improved, even though he had no memory from doing the task. He had no explicit memory from this task, but had implicit memory (procedural).
The researchers examined H.M.'s brain and found that the hippocampus and amygdala (which were tampered with during surgery) were damaged. To put it simply, a hypothesis was born: the hippocampus and amygdala, as well as other major parts connecting to the limbic system must be critical to memory. (Lilienfeld, 2010)
Source: "Psychology: From Inquiry to Understanding." (Lilienfeld, 2010)
