U3 AOS2 - DP6: Autobiographical Events Flashcards
(17 cards)
Autobiographical memory
a memory system consisting of episodes recollected from an individual’s life, based on a combination of episodic and semantic memory
Episodic future thinking
projecting yourself forwards in time to pre-experience an event that might happen in your personal future
Mental time travel
the capacity to mentally reconstruct past personal events and imagine possible future scenarios
Role of episodic memory in imagined futures
involved by allowing individuals to construct a possible imagined future that is subjective and includes more richly detailed elements (people involved or emotional reactions). It allows us to ‘relive’ the past and use past experiences to imagine the future and plan future actions
Role of semantic memory in imagined futures
allows individuals to envision possible scenarios that are consistent and fit in with what they already know about the world
Alzheimer’s disease (definition)
a neurodegenerative disease characterised by the progressive deterioration of brain neurons, causing memory loss, decline in cognitive and social skills and personality changes
Alzheimer’s disease (other facts)
neurodegeneration begins in the hippocampus and then it progresses and affects the neocortex and then other areas of the brain
Affects explicit memory: unable to encode explicit memories
A conclusive diagnosis can only be made through a post mortem examination in which lesions on the brain can be examined
Lesion
a damaged or abnormal area of the brain that may appear like a scar or wound
Two types of lesions
amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles
Amyloid plaques
an abnormal build-up of beta-amyloid proteins between the synapses of neurons that interfere with communication
Neurofibrillary tangles
an abnormal build-up of protein inside a neuron that is associated with cell death
Alzheimer’s impact on autobiographical events
semantic and episodic memory retrieval by the hippocampus is reduced
Aphantasia
individuals lack the capability to generate mental imagery
Mental imagery (definition)
refers to the visual representations and experiences of sensory information without the presence of sensory stimuli
Mental imagery (other facts)
individuals use sensory information that has been organised in STM and then transferred to LTM to recreate perceptual experiences
This sensory information can be stored in both semantic and episodic memories
People without aphantasia
more likely to draw on their semantic and episodic memories when creating mental imagery.
People with aphantasia
may not be able to visualise richly detailed & vivid episodic memory, due to the inability to generate mental imagery. While semantic memories remain intact, the visual component of these memories may also be lacking. They also struggles to retrieve autobiographical events and construct possible imagined futures
