Brain Damaged Patients And HM

Question 1

What did HM’s surgeon remove

Answer 1

His hippocampus which is within the temporal lobe

Question 2

What did the procedure aim to do?

Answer 2

Reduce his seizures

Question 3

What did the procedure leave him with?

Answer 3

Severe amnesia

Anterograde and retrograde

Question 4

What does anterograde amnesia mean for HM

Answer 4

He couldn’t form any new LTMs, he could use his STM but not transfer any info to his LTM

Question 5

What does retrograde amnesia mean for HM

Answer 5

He lost his ability to recall events prior to the surgery.

Only partial events from 16-25

Question 6

How old was HM

Answer 6

27 years old

Question 7

HM was high in validity because

Answer 7

HM was interviewed lots, giving rich data, more understanding of which cognitive functions were still intact

Question 8

HM was low generalisability

Answer 8

Unique case study and cannot assume that everybody’s brain would function in the same way that HMs brain functioned