Scoville and Milner Study (cognitive + bio)

Question 1

Scoville and Milner Study (cognitive)

Aim

Answer 1

To examine the retrograde amnesia suffered by H.M. (a 27 year old man) after the “lesioning” of some of his temporal lobe (hippocampus suffered serious damage)

Question 2

Scoville and Milner Study (cognitive)

Procedure

Answer 2

• Psychometric testing: IQ testing
• Direct observation of his behavior
• Interviews with both HM and with family members
• Cognitive testing: memory recall tests as well as learning tasks (Star tracing task)

Question 3

Scoville and Milner Study (cognitive)

Findings

Answer 3

• Could not form new memories (episodic memories) except for those involving movement (procedural memories)
• Personality unchanged and no intellectual impairment
• Could recall memories formed in childhood, but had trouble with those from year directly before surgery
• Hippocampus (and surrounding area) important in memory processing and formation of new memories (short term memory)
• Since H.M. could recall some old childhood memories, it supports that the brain has memory stores across different areas

Question 4

Scoville and Milner Study (cognitive)

Strengths

Answer 4

• Brain scans in the late 1990s showed less damage than originally thought to the hippocampus (more to surrounding areas)
• A “retrospective study: Little is known about the brain, behavior and memory before the surgery

Question 5

Scoville and Milner Study (cognitive)

Limitations

Answer 5

• External validity: Cannot generalize a single case study

Question 6

Scoville and Milner Study (cognitive)

Ethical Considerations

Answer 6

• Informed consent: Difficult to consent to further research when suffering from memory issues
• Confidentiality: The participant’s name was kept confidential until after his death (Henry Molaison)

Question 7

Scoville and Milner Study (cognitive)

Research Method

Answer 7

Case Study