Chapter 6-Memory

The topic of memory is my favorite to discuss! Before really digging deeper into the reading on memory, I hoped that I would find any mentioning of premature children having a knack for memory recall.
In order to process and remember events, memory requires a specific amount of experience as well as developmental progression of the brain. Children often have a hard time with memory recall, and adults cannot access their early memories. This is called "childhood amnesia". It is thought that one of the reasons that children and adults have a hard time with early memories is because of language. Another pathological impairment of memory that is common, is called selective amnesia.  Selective amnesia is when memories from early childhood such as nursing and crying, is forgotten where as strong emotions such as love and fear stays with the individual.
Although brain activity patters shown on fMRI and PET scans stipulated that a region of the brain is dedicated to memory, it was also found that there are several other regions that play a role in storing memory as well. I found it astonishing that an infant could lose a part of their brain, and still remember things that were stored in that region! It truly made me appreciate how amazing and complicated our brain structures are! There are also differences to the kind of memories that we store and retrieve. One is implicit memory which is unconscious or automatic memory that is stored until a stimulus activates it such as, habits, routines, and different sensations. Another is explicit memory, which includes learned words and concepts. Explicit memory is easier to retrieve on demand unlike implicit memory.