Contemporary: Schmolk Flashcards
Aim
Investigate the effects of specific brain damage on semantic memory using case studies. Specifically the relationship between semantic test scores, temporal lobe damage and to look at the uniqueness of H.M.
Method
They conducted 13 tests, 9 were from a semantic test battery using line drawings of 24 animals and 24 objects. (which were grouped into smaller categories ie water animals, vehicles etc.)
They were asked to complete various tasks such as naming, describing physical features, the pyramid and palms task and filling in gaps.
The % correct or incorrect were scored, except on some tests (6, 8, 9) where their accuracy was scored 0-4 and the researchers made sure they compared (inter-rater reliability)
Results
Those with Hippocampus damage (HF) were able to name, point out, and answer questions about objects they were given with considerable accuracy. (Similarly to the control group)
Those with MTL+ performed less well. They also had difficulty thinking of examples from a category e.g. names of breeds of dog
MTL+ 50% for living objects and 62% for non-living
HM- 66.7% for living and 90% for non-living
HM did the worst (in MTL group) The MTL+ found it most difficult to identify and recall facts about living objects compared to non-living objects in all tasks.
Conclusion
MTL+ patients had greater difficulty than MTL suggesting that the anterolateral temporal cortex is responsible for semantic knowledge
+Reliable
Since the study is a lab based it can be seen as highly replicable. There were high levels of controls in the study such as the pictures that were used, the exact timing of the procedures etc. and so the study could be easily repeated to check the results for reliability.
+group design
control group matched for age sex and education to control for participant variables and isolate the brain damage as the IV.
-sample
This was a small sample of several unique individuals and as such the results cannot be applied to others because of their unique status.
-lab experiments
different from everyday life, in real life you wouldn’t have to do these sorts of identification task and so the study lacks mundane realism, this means the results can’t be applied to real life.
-case study
This is a case study with a naturally occurring IV so we cannot actually gain a cause and effect relationship as it is difficult/impossible to eliminate EVs which may have affected the results
Sample
Six patients with amnesia were compared to 8 normal control participants. They were matched on age, sex and education. The brain damaged patients were divided into groups according to their brain damage (MTL damage- medial temporal lobe) and MTL+ patients (MTL and anterolateral temporal cortex damage)
Validity
Checked for inter-rater reliability
-ethics
Working with vulnerable people
+Supported
The findings (anterolateral temporal cortex and relation to semantic knowledge) matches up with other research about semantic dementia
