H.M. Flashcards
What was wrong with HM prior to his operation?
Suffered from severe epilepsy due to a head injury from childhood
What was removed during his surgery and why?
His hippocampus in order to relieve him of his seizures
What was wrong with HM post operation?
He had retrograde and anterograde amnesia
What is retrograde amnesia?
Loss of previous memories
What is anterograde amnesia?
The inability to create new memories
What were the results of HM in relation to his episodic memory?
Could remember memories from his childhood however had gaps in more recent memories and couldn’t create new memories
What were the results in relation to his semantic and procedural memory?
They were both intact (e.g. he knew what an astronaut was but couldn’t recall learning about them)
How was his STM effected?
He forgot information within moments of learning it
How was his procedural memory tested?
Repeatedly drew a star in a mirror and made fewer mistakes each time, showing that he became more skilled in it
What can be concluded from HM’s study?
That the hippocampus plays a major role in forming episodic memories from short term to long term
Is HM generalisable?
No because he was a case study therefore a unique case
Is HM reliable?
No because he was a case study and the damage to his brain cannot purposely be replicated, however the tasks he carried out (e.g. star drawing) were standardised and therefore replicable
Is HM applicable?
Yes because:
-Revealed the distinction between STM and LTM
- Revealed that there are different types of LTM
- Led to safer and more advanced brain surgery
Is HM valid?
Yes because he lived through his condition every day and he was observed on his behaviour and habits (e.g. watching a movie he’d seen before but couldn’t remember)
Is HM ethical?
Yes because:
- He consented to his brain surgery
- He repeatedly consented to taking part in research
However it is argued that he was not fit to give informed consent due to the extensive damage to his brain
