After H.M. (his story is on pgs. 160-161 in Cognitive Psychology 4th ed.) had pa

Question

After H.M. (his story is on pgs. 160-161 in Cognitive Psychology 4th ed.) had part of his medial temporal lobe removed to help control his epileptic seizures, he continued to display normal intelligence but impaired memory.  Describe some of the impairments H.M. experienced and some of the memory tasks he performed at normal levels. Why are these findings important for understanding memory?

Here are some additional links to the case of H.M.:

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/trouble-in-mind/201201/hm-the-man-no-memory

http://www.simplypsychology.org/anterograde-amnesia.html

http://www.humanillnesses.com/Behavioral-Health-Fe-Mu/Memory.html

please no plagiarized answers please

Explanation / Answer

Following impairment H.M. experienced are as follows:

- Everything used to seem new to him as he was not able to remember anything older than two minutes.

- He can only remember the old memory which was developed by his brain well before completion of his operation

- Since he did not remember anything new so everything he was experiencing was new to him

Coming to the some of the task which he was performing at normal level are as follows:

- He was able make a way out from a field of maize easily

- He was able to make paintings easily and fast

These finding were really import for the scientists to understand and research because it gave them the idea to learn about the functions and dysfunction which can develop after the removal of hippocampus as experienced in case of subjected case.

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