Case Studies in Memory
AP Psychology
Case/Name of
Individual
Frederick
Clive Wearing
Phineas Gage
H.M.
R.B.
Date
1981
1985
1848
1953
1983
Detailed description of
condition
Frederick’s semantic and
procedural memory seemed
unaltered, yet he evidenced no
episodic memory – he could
not form new explicit
memories of the episodic
variety; golfer who was studied
by Daniel Schacter;
Clive was a highly intelligent
and accomplished musician and
composer; today he remembers
nothing for more than a few
minutes (no ability to form new
explicit memories); extensive
retrograde amnesia as well;
however, his procedural
memory is intact; emotionally
volatile
Railroad worker who suffered
severe brain damage when a
tamping iron shot through his
cheek and skull; he has no filter
on his thoughts and is
emotionally volatile; rational
thinking was limited and he
couldn’t plan for the future;
immature and impulsive
Etiology
Unclear;
originally
thought to be in
the early stages
of Alzheimer’s
Disease; severe
amnesic
syndrome
Encephalitis
(inflammation
of the brain)
caused by
herpes virus
Accident
severed
connections
between limbic
system
(including
hippocampus
and amygdala)
and frontal
lobes
Surgically
removed areas
in medial
(inner)
temporal lobes,
including
hippocampus
and amygdala
HM, a 27-year-old Connecticut
factory worker, was unable to
remember anything that
happened to him after the
surgery to control his seizures
(severe anterograde amnesia);
performed horribly on
Weschler Memory Scale
assessment; his working
memory still functioned well,
but he could not form new
explicit memories; some
retrograde amnesia as well (no
difficulty recalling childhood
and teen memories, prior to age
16)
RB has almost no retrograde
Ischemia
amnesia; however, his
(temporary loss
anterograde amnesia was equal of blood flow to
to that of other amnesic patients
brain,
associated with
an arterial tear
caused by heart
surgery)
damaged
Region s of
Brain Affected
Hippocampus
(likely), as this
is critical in
consolidating
new explicit
memories
Hippocampus
and frontal lobes
Frontal lobe
predominantly
Hippocampus
and amygdala
Hippocampus
only (region
called CA1 –
particularly
sensitive to
ischemia)
David Jane
1989
David’s verbal memory and
ability to use and understand
language had been obliterated;
he possessed little memory for
ongoing events and remembers
virtually nothing of his past
hippocampus
Herpes simplex
virus (while in
Brazil)
Left temporal
lobes