Alejandro Lugo

1. Explain how
biological factors
may affect one
cognitive process
Alejandro Lugo
Manuel Tamayo

2. Hippocampus in Memory
• The hippocampus plays a very important role in the
creation of memories. Researchers such as Kandel,
and several studies have shown that people with a
damaged hippocampus no longer have
the ability to form explicit memories,
but they can form implicit memories.

3. Amygdala in Memory
• “There is evidence that the amygdala plays a role in the
storage of emotional memories” (Crane, Hannibal 77)
This can be said because some emotions are used to
prove experiences.
Certain memories have emotional significance and this
might explain why memories that have an emotional
significance are remembered better.
• People with post traumatic
stress
disorder
have
problems getting rid of the
memories because they are
emotional memories.

4. Clive Wearing
• Aim: To examine the effects of brain damage on memory.
• Procedure: Examine Clive´s case of amnesia with a combination of
qualitative and quantitative methods.
• Quantitative: MRI: This brain imaging technology allowed researchers to
see the specific part of the brain where Clive received the damage.
Qualitative: Interview: Researchers
did interviews with Deborah, Clive´s
wife. They ask her about his life at
home and how she looks at his
condition. There is an example that
she uses that when Clive writes on
his diary, he puts: “9:00am: having
just woken up” then a few
minutes/seconds later he again puts
“ 9:01am: Now I have just woken
up”. This shows how severe his case
of amnesia is.

5. Clive Wearing
• Findings : The MRI showed damage to frontal and temporal lobes,
but the part that was most affected was the Hippocampus, where
the functions of memory and learning are localized.
• Interviews though, shows us how memory is distributed in several
parts of the brain and not only in the Hippocampus. Clive can play
the piano, which display that the areas of the brain related to
procedural memory (the Cerebellum) didn’t receive
any damage . Also he has a strong emotional
response every time he sees his wife showing
that emotional memory (related to the
Amygdala) is also not affected. Procedural and
emotional memory are implicit memories.

6. (Moscabranca,3)

7. HM research study
• Milner and Scoville (1957)
• Aim: Effect of brain damage in memory
• Procedure: The doctors removed tissue from
the temporal lobe including the hippocampus
The incisions were made across the forehead
to pull the skin back directly exposing the
area of the brain. The entire hippocampus
was pulled out including amygdala and some
white matter leading to and from the
temporal lobe

8. Hm Research
Study
Findings: HM suffers from
anterograde amnesia and he is
unable to recognize faces of people
he meets. He can carry on a normal
conversation but he does not
recognize people who visit him
regularly. He can read and reread
the same books without knowing h
has already seen them. Hm could
recall information acquire in life but
he cant create new memories

9. Bibliographies
"The Cognitive Level of Analisis." Scisdragons.net. N.p., n.d.
Web. 5 May 2013
"Clive Wearing and HM - Two Evaluations of Brain Function
and Memory Loss." Get IB Coursework and Essays Help from
Marked By Teachers.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 May 2013.
Crane, John and Jeete Hannibal.Psychology course
companion IB Diploma Programme. Oxford:Oxford
University. Press,2009.Print.
"Clive Wearing." Http://hs-psychology.ismonline.org/files/2013/03/key-study-sacks-clive-wearingamnesia.doc. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 May 2013.
"Moscabranca: Clive Wearing Esqueceu De Tudo, Menos Da
Música." Moscabranca: Clive Wearing Esqueceu De Tudo,
Menos Da Música. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 May 2013.