Dissociating the memory systems mediating complex tool knowledge and skills

Previous research has suggested that different components of complex tool knowledge (e.g., attributes of a tool, how it is grasped, how it is used) may be mediated by different memory systems. For instance, while tool attributes may be represented in the declarative memory system, motor skill acquis...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Neuropsychologia Vol. 48; no. 10; pp. 3026 - 3036
Main Authors: Roy, Shumita, Park, Norman W.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01.08.2010
Elsevier
Subjects:
Adult and adolescent clinical studies
Amnesia
Amnesia, Retrograde - physiopathology
Biological and medical sciences
Brain Mapping - methods
Declarative memory
Disorders of higher nervous function. Focal brain diseases. Central vestibular syndrome and deafness. Brain stem syndromes
Female
Hand Strength - physiology
Humans
Knowledge
Magnetic Resonance Imaging - methods
Male
Medical sciences
Memory - physiology
Memory for actions
Middle Aged
Motor Skills - physiology
Nervous system (semeiology, syndromes)
Neurology
Neuropsychological Tests
Organic mental disorders. Neuropsychology
Procedural memory
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Teaching
Tomography, X-Ray Computed - methods
Tool use acquisition
Verbal Learning - physiology
Declarative memory
Amnesia
Tool use acquisition
Procedural memory
Memory for actions
Human
Memory disorder
Nervous system diseases
Action
Cognitive disorder
Use
Cognition
Cerebral disorder
Learning
Skill
Acquisition process
Central nervous system disease
Neurological disorder
Tool
ISSN:0028-3932, 1873-3514, 1873-3514
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Previous research has suggested that different components of complex tool knowledge (e.g., attributes of a tool, how it is grasped, how it is used) may be mediated by different memory systems. For instance, while tool attributes may be represented in the declarative memory system, motor skill acquisition has been shown to be represented in the procedural memory system. Still other aspects of tool knowledge such as grasping for use and skilled tool use may rely on an integration of both declarative and procedural memory processes. However, the specific memory representations of different aspects of complex tool knowledge are still unclear. In the current study, D.A., an individual with amnesia, and a sample of matched controls were trained to use a set of novel complex tools. Subsequently, memory for different aspects of tool knowledge including motor skill acquisition, tool attributes, tool grasping, and skilled tool use was tested. Results showed that, in comparison to controls, D.A. was unimpaired in motor skill acquisition. In contrast, D.A. was severely impaired in recall of tool attributes, tool grasping, and skilled tool use, suggesting that these components of tool knowledge, at least in part, rely on declarative memory. Results also showed that providing contextual cues during tests of skilled tool use led to remarkable improvement in D.A.’s demonstration of tool use as well as his subsequent recall of tool functional knowledge. Implications of these findings and future directions are discussed.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Case Study-2
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-4
content type line 23
ObjectType-Report-1
ObjectType-Article-3
ObjectType-Article-2
ObjectType-Feature-1
ISSN:0028-3932
1873-3514
1873-3514
DOI:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2010.06.012