Reply To: The Woman who Can’t Forget (Year 1 Thur.)

[Anonymous]

Memory is far more complex than I thought. There is not one memory, but several types of it and each one of them is responsible for something diffrent. Clive‘s case is a perfect example to understand memory’s complexity. Because of amnesia Clive remembers things only for seven seconds. However, he has no problem with recalling his childhood memories. Additonally his procedural memory works without charge?? (he can still can play athe piano very well). He doesn’t remember his sons‘s name, but he knows that he loves him them. It means that not all his memory is injureddamaged/destroyed, but just a part of it. It makes his life quite miserable, but as his wife said – Clive is still Clive.
The similar pattern we can notice with in Jill’s super memory. Her episodic memory is superior than an average person’s. She remembers every day since she is was 14 years old. Her first memory comes from when she was 18 months old. But it only applies to this one type of memory. Her semantic memory is ordinary, however hyperthymestic syndrome makes it difficult for her to focus or remember e.g. a poem or mathematical formula, which is semantic memory’s task.
Memory creates us and without her it we wouldn’t know who we are.

• This reply was modified 5 years ago by admin.