In this video I introduce the biology of memory and the role of the hippocampus on long-term memory formation. I discuss several cases of severe memory loss including patients H.M. and E.P., who suffered anterograde amnesia and cannot form new memories, and Clive Wearing, who also suffers from retrograde amnesia and is unable to recall his past. These case studies … Read More
Memory Failures: Transience, Absentmindedness, & Blocking
In this video I introduce 3 common memory failures from Daniel Schacter’s list of the “seven sins” of memory. Transience refers to forgetting due to the passage of time and follows a “forgetting curve” researched by Hermann Ebbinghaus. Absentmindedness refers to a failure to bring a memory to mind at the appropriate time. This relates to the idea of prospective … Read More
Introduction to Memory
In this video I begin the memory unit by introducing a few key terms (encoding, storage, and retrieval), explaining why it’s important not to extend the “mind as computer” analogy too far, and briefly outlining the 3-Box model of memory first proposed by Richard Atkinson and Richard Shiffrin, which includes stores for sensory, short-term, and long-term memory. Don’t forget to … Read More
How Does Memory Work?
Why do we remember some things and not others? How much can we remember and how long can our memories last? What processes shape our memory of the world? Memories are a fundamental part of who we are, so it’s natural that we should have so many questions about why some memories persist while others fade, or how it is … Read More