The case study of Eugene Pauly
What were some findings, give one example
Was an experiment in which Squire took 16 different objects and glued them on cardboard rectangles. He then organized the objects in 8 pairs. On the bottom of one of the objects in each pair was written the word "correct." EP had to choose between the two with the goal that with rehearsal, he would be able to consistently choose the "correct" object. However, he couldn't remember which objects were correct. The experiment was repeated twice a week for months. On each day that the experiment was repeated, there were 40 pairings.
What were the conclusions?
- Memory is more complex of what we intricacy think. - Memory depends a lot in the hippocampus - There are different types of memory
What methods did they used?
1. Interviews with EP and his family 2. Psychometric testing: for example, IQ testing - which proved no impairment of intelligence. 3. Observational studies - watching how EP solved problems or behaved on memory tasks. For example, EP could not remember a string of numbers 4. MRI: found that the anterior temporal lobe was the most damaged - including the amygdala and hippocampus.
What happened to Eugene Pauly?
At the age of 70, he was diagnosed with viral encephalitis. His physical recovery was really good, but his cognitive impairment was very significant. He had large lesions on his medial temporal lobe, the part of the brain responsible for the formation of long-term memory. Both the amygdala and the hippocampus were completely destroyed.
What were squire movements?
He first made some meetings with Eugene at his home, During one interview he asked EP to draw a map of his home. He was not able to do it. However, EP excused himself and got up to go to the toilet. How could a man that could not draw a map of his home find the bathroom on his own? When sitting in the living room, he could not identify which door led to the kitchen. But if Squire asked him to get him something to eat, he immediately got up and headed for the kitchen.
What is the AMI (Autobiographical Memory Interview)?
It is a structured interview that asks for detailed information about three periods of life: childhood, early adult life, and recent life. Within each of these periods EP's memory was tested for both personal semantic knowledge (e.g., What was your home address while attending high school?) and autobiographical memory (e.g., Describe an incident that occurred while you were attending elementary school). The accuracy of all his responses was verified by at least two family members. For the recent time period, EP performed extremely poorly. He did better at answering questions about his early adult life, but his scores were still below the control scores. In contrast, EP performed normally when answering questions about his childhood, scoring nearly as high as the highest-scoring control subjects.
Who carried the Case Study?
Squire and his team at MIT.
What date was the case introduced?
The Case was introduced in 1992 to Larry Squire and his team, it is one of the most famous cases of amnesia after HM's.
What did Eugene couldn't remember?
The days of the week, names of nurses, doctor or either friends. He had difficulties continuing a conversation, but he was able to talk about topics who interested him. He could only remembered events that happened in 1960's or eairly
What does this case teach us?
The nature of memory
What can this Case study be used for?
To discuss the role of biological factors on memory, the use of a case study model in the CLOA or BLOA or the use of technology to understand cognitive processes.
