LTM and Amnesia

Question 1

What is the declarative memory?

Answer 1

Explicit.
Knowing factual knowledge. If you can say it, it is part of the declarative memory.

Question 2

What is the non-declarative memory?

Answer 2

Implicit.
Knowing how to do something.
Motor skills
Cognitive skills (like reading)
Habits

Question 3

What are the two subdivisions of the declarative memory?

Answer 3

Episodic memory: recall events, where/when memories
Semantic memory: general knowledge, what/why memories

Question 4

What are the two subdivisions of the non-declarative memory

Answer 4

Procedural memory: learning and performing motor and cognitive skills
Priming: think of priming via associative learning

Question 5

What is habituation?

Answer 5

Learning to ignore a stimulus

Question 6

What is sensitisation?

Answer 6

Learning to attend to a stimulus, especially if it is potentially threatening.

Question 7

What is retrograde amnesia?

Answer 7

Inability to remember events prior to a brain trauma. Generally events closest to trauma are most affected.

Question 8

What is anterograde amnesia?

Answer 8

Inability to recall declarative info that was learned after the trauma.
There is an inability to consolidate new declarative knowledge.

Question 9

Discuss the case of H.M

Answer 9

Both hippocampi were removed. Was unable to form new memories or retain new knowledge. Both semantic and episodic memories affected. Really good evidence that the hippocampus is crucial for the consolidation of memories.
Normal sensory and working memory.

Question 10

Discuss the mirror tracing task in terms of anterograde amnesia.

Answer 10

People with anterograde amnesia can learn new procedural memories.
Done by asking amnesiacs to draw a shape while watching themselves in a mirror. Made less mistakes after being asked to do the task every day.