Lascaux Cave Art & Memory

Detour to Lascaux.PPT

Why did artist overlap these and other images, given enormous “canvas”?

Photographic Photographic MemoryMemory

Also known as Also known as eidetic memoryeidetic memory

5% of preschool 5% of preschool children show children show evidence of eidetic evidence of eidetic memorymemory

Images persistImages persist

Savant SyndromeSavant Syndrome (previously Idiot Savant)(previously Idiot Savant)

Often mentally retarded or deficit Often mentally retarded or deficit except for “splinter” skills:except for “splinter” skills:– Calendar calculationCalendar calculation– Music performanceMusic performance– Mathematical Mathematical (primes, multiplication)(primes, multiplication)

– Artistic creation Artistic creation – Spatial skillsSpatial skills– Map memorizationMap memorization

PHENOMENAL MEMORY BUT NARROWPHENOMENAL MEMORY BUT NARROW

Savant SyndromeSavant Syndrome(Autistic Savant)(Autistic Savant)

Autistic Savants Autistic Savants account for half of account for half of SavantsSavants– Aabout 10% of autistics Aabout 10% of autistics

exhibit savant skills exhibit savant skills Other developmental Other developmental

disorder & brain injury disorder & brain injury account for remainderaccount for remainder

Can normal people Can normal people exhibit savant skills?exhibit savant skills?

Kim Peek, Mega-Savant, Rainman

Video: Uncommon Genius

Causes of Savant SyndromeCauses of Savant Syndrome Social deprivation or isolation – e.g. Kim Social deprivation or isolation – e.g. Kim

PeekPeek Compensation (poor abstract ability so Compensation (poor abstract ability so

focus intently on surface level of world)focus intently on surface level of world) UndistractableUndistractable Concrete reasoningConcrete reasoning Pre-verbal coding scheme survivesPre-verbal coding scheme survives

Why am I autistic, and you aren't?" He expresses himself with the help of the alphabet board.

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)(TMS)

Synder et al (2003). Savant-like skills exposed in normal people by suppressing the left fronto-temporal lobe. - Stylistic changes in drawing were facilitated by the magnetic pulses in 4 of 11 participants

Young et al (2004. Switching skills on by turning off part of the brain.5 of 17 showed improvements declarative memory, drawing, mathematics, and calendar calculating

Test for Eidetic MemoryTest for Eidetic Memory

Infant AmnesiaInfant Amnesia

Little to no recall first few years of Little to no recall first few years of lifelife

Girls generally show earlier recall Girls generally show earlier recall than boysthan boys

Why?Why?– Change in coding system, how we Change in coding system, how we

represent informationrepresent information

Test of Sensory Register

A B C D

E F G H

I J K LDemo – Arrow will appear to left of one of the rows

Probe

Answer

A B C D

Ok ready

Next slide will be shown for only a few

milliseconds

A H G J

K T Y U

P M R W

• Sensory register – what survives transfers to STM

Memory System

Extent Duration

Sensory Register

“10 Megs” milliseconds

Short-Term Memory (STM)

Long-Term Memory (LTM)

STM Memory Span

• CLASS EXERCISE

STM Memory Span

• 6194• 37852• 965283• 4269851• 81637249• 625734981

• 93 82 47 15

STM Memory Span

• 6194• 37852• 965283• 4269851• 81637249• 625734981

• 93 82 47 15 - chunking (4 categories, not 8)

Memory System

Extent Duration

Sensory Register

10 Megs milliseconds

STM 7 +/- 2 < 30 seconds

LTM

Primacy & Recency Effects

• Class Exercise

Primacy & Recency Effects

• Candle• Maple• Subway• Tiger• Ceiling• Ocean• Paper• Thunder• Sofa• Dollar• Wagon• Doorbell

Retrieval TypesRetrieval Types

• Free recall _______

• Cued recall M _ _ _ _ or ____ LEAF

• Recognition CHAIR TABLE SOFA

• Implicit Asked to name a piece of furniture after having seen one in unrelated task or test, or

• complete the following SOF_

Mnemonics

• Categorical clustering – organize list into set of categories

• Interactive images – visual items of list interacting together

• Pegword – associate items to predetermined list (good for serial recall)

• Method of loci – place items in a visualized walk through well known area (serial)

• Acronym – form word from first letters• Acoustic – form sentence (Every good boy d…)

• TAXONOMY •

• KEEP___________ KINGDOM

POND___________ PHYLUM

CLEAN___________CLASS

OR___________ ORDER

FISH___________ FAMILY

GET ___________GENUS

SICK___________SPECIES •

• THE 5 KINGDOMS •

• MY___________ MONERA

PUPPY___________PROTISTA

FEELS___________FUNGI

PRETTY___________PLANT

AWESOME___________ANIMAL

Memory System

Extent Duration

Sensory Register

10 Megs milliseconds

STM 7 +/- 2 < 30 seconds

LTM Infinite lifetime

Long Term Memory

• Permanent storage

• Information represented more conceptually than perceptually

• Memory as

active process

• Retrograde amnesia – loss of memory prior to

trauma– Last in, First out (LIFO)

• Anterograde amnesia– loss of ability to form

new memories after trauma

Example Trauma to LTMExample Trauma to LTM

• ECT = Electroconvulsive shock therapy

Patient H.M. Patient H.M. (Hippocampus)(Hippocampus)

• Bilateral temporal lobe resection for treatment of epilepsy.– Included removal of hippocampus and amygdala from both sides.

Consequences of Psychosurgery for H.M.Consequences of Psychosurgery for H.M.

• Positive

- Seizures better controlled

- IQ unaffected; still a bright guy

- Good LTM for events before surgery

- Good command of language including vocabulary

- Remembered his name and job he held

• Negative • Suffered anterograde amnesia -

unable to transfer new STM into LTM– unable to remember new people,

places or objects for more than a minute

– unable to recognize people he met during surgery including his neurosurgeons

– took a year to learn his way around a new house

Suffered retrograde amnesia for info acquired a few years before surgery (How to test someone’s recall of the past?)

Retrograde Amnesia Test: Retrograde Amnesia Test: Famous Faces of the PastFamous Faces of the Past

Patient HM Patient HM • Revealed declarative/ nondeclarative distinction

– Declarative memories (explicit memories) involve conscious recollection of events and information.

– What facts mean.• H.M. lost this ability.

– Nondeclarative memories (implicit memories) involve ability to acquire and perform new behaviors or associations. Recalled unconsciously.

– How to perform a task.• H.M. retained this ability.

– could perform mirror-tracing after training but could not remember doing the task before

Memory by ContentMemory by Content

Rehearsal – acoustic or visualRehearsal – acoustic or visual

Distributed > Mass Encodings on Retrieval

Depth of Encoding is related to Depth of Encoding is related to ease of recallease of recall

Flashbulb MemoriesFlashbulb Memories

• Unique events, often life-threatening like Challenger or Columbia explosion, JFK assassination, WTC attack

Encoding SpecificityEncoding Specificity

• Context is encoded during acquisition• Context (internal and external environment) acts as

nonconscious cues during retrieval

– Information learned in a classroom is better recalled in the same classroom than another classroom or setting

– Information learned in one mental state (alert, intoxicated, etc) is better recalled in similar mental state

Interference Exercise

Forgetting Due to decay of memory trace Due to interference in retrieving trace

Animals Cheetah Falcon Sparrow Caribou Crab Catfish Coyote

Animals Bison Raccoon Duck Mole Turtle Ferret Trout

Goose Leopard Shrew Hawk Deer Fox Hammerhead

Canary Weasel Buffalo Cougar Turkey Lizard Goldfish

Hedgehog Eagle Elk Lobster Panther Moose Groundhog

Hummingbird Crocodile Cow Jackal Chicken Squid Eel

Mink Owl Lion Salmon Wolverine Quail Ox

Alligator Condor Wolf Antelope Pheasant Tiger Sea horse

Hyena Vulture Tuna Mongoose Muskrat Yak Gazelle

Iguana Ostrich Llama Otter Woodchuck Zebra Raven

Terrain – CATEGORY SHIFT Hill Strait Ravine Isle Territory Bay Woodland

Terrain Waterfall Cavern River Lawn Forest Valley Channel

Terrain Stream Mountain Pool Cave Island Rapids Hollow

Terrain Steppe Cascades Woods Park Gulch Basin Keys

Terrain Peak Passage Grotto Creek Knoll Whirlpool Plateau

Terrain Drift Canal Grounds Ocean Gorge Tunnel Path

Terrain Canyon Orchard Sandbar Bluff Glen Brook Garden

Terrain Cove Heights Gully Ditch Plain Pond Mound

Terrain Penisula Cliff Depression Summit Terrain Lagoon Fjord

Terrain Ridge Gap Gutter Isthmus Plantation Flood Waterway

INTERFERENCEINTERFERENCE

LEARN LEARN TEST

RETROACTIVE

(eg., early tel.no.)

OLD NEW OLD

PROACTIVE

(eg., parked car)

OLD NEW NEW

Korsakoff’s SyndromeKorsakoff’s Syndrome

• Fails to Release from Proactive Interference• Anterograde AND retrograde amnesia• Confabulation (tells lies to fill gaps in knowledge)• Poor conversational content, apathetic• Lack of insight *

• However: Normal IQ, alert, attentive

DUE to thiamine (B1) deficiency from prolonged alcohol intake

Korsakoff’s SyndromeKorsakoff’s Syndrome

REM Sleep’s “role” in Memory consolidationREM Sleep’s “role” in Memory consolidation

Animal Research in MemoryAnimal Research in Memory