Strange case of clive wearing

Reference no: EM13496635

We observed in class the strange case of Clive Wearing, who lost most of his ability to retrieve old memories (retrograde amnesia), and all of his ability to form new long-term memories (anterograde amnesia)after a herpes infection in 1986 which destroyed his hippocampi and much of his cortex.

We noted, however, that Mr. Wearing does seem to retain some portions of his memory - specifically of his wife, Deborah, whom he adores, and of some kinds of foods (he identified stewed spinach in a dish of chicken mozzarella as "cooked salad", indicating a knowledge of salad). We also noted that he is able to write in his journal, play the piano, and maintain basic hygeine, even though he constantly believes that he has just awakened after sleeping for over twenty years.

Please answer this question: given that his brain is so damaged, and that he has been unable to form new memories for almost a quarter century, how can he play new pieces on the piano?

Reference no: EM13496635

Questions Cloud

Diagnostic axes used in diagnosing mental : What is the difference between Type I Bipolar Disorder and a Type II Bipolar Disorder? List three kinds of anxiety disorders. List two kinds of mood disorders.

What is the independent variable : A psychologist wishes to study the effects of gender and age on mood. Samples of 5 subjects are in each of 6 treatment conditions. There are three levels of Factor A (i.e., kids, adults and the elderly) and two levels of Factor B (i.e., males and ..

What are the differences between women and men : What are the differences between women and men on the roles they play as they grow older and how it have changed over the time of period. support with work citations and details.

Explanations of social and moral development : Explain whether Piaget's and Erikson's explanations of social and moral development are applicable to today's children.

Strange case of clive wearing : We observed in class the strange case of Clive Wearing, who lost most of his ability to retrieve old memories (retrograde amnesia), and all of his ability to form new long-term memories (anterograde amnesia)after a herpes infection in 1986 which d..

Evaluate the mean difference between treatments : The follow data are from a research study comparing two treatment conditions. Use a two-tailed test with ? = .05 to evaluate the mean difference between treatments. For the first test, assume the data are from an independent-measures study using t..

Enough evidence to support the consumers conjecture : A machine is designed to fill jars with 16 ounces of coffee. A consumer suspects that the machine is not filling the jars completely. A sample of 8 jars has a mean of 15.6 ounces and a standard deviation of 0.3 ounce. Is there enough evidence to s..

Centers for disease control and prevention : One of the measurements that can be used to determine a child's developmental progression is to compare the development of the child to the typical developmental milestones. Some examples of developmental milestones are when an infant first sits u..

Explain the disorder of phobias : How does the biological approach explain the disorder of phobias? Give examples.

User Account

All Pages