Have you ever seen the movie Memento? It is a movie about a man (Leonard) who has lost the ability to make new memories. Therefore he can remember past events, but he has no short-term memory. Short- term memory is the capacity for holding a small amount of information in mind in an active, readily available state for a short period of time. Most of us take our short-term memory for grated but after watching this movie I have a new found respect for such a wonderful capability.
In the movie Leonard says, “If I talk to you for too long, I probably won’t remember who you are or even why I started talking to you in the first place.” To compensate for having no short-term memory, Leonard is constantly talking Polaroid pictures of people he meets and places he goes and writing messages on the pictures. Important facts and information he can’t afford to forget he has tattooed all over his body.
In the case of Leonard and his difficult situation, how do you think his sensation and perception of the world might differ from a normal functioning individual? I would believe that he experiences sensations just as I would, but perceiving those sensations would be extremely difficult. The active process of selecting, organizing, and interpreting the information brought to his brain by his senses would be almost impossible. If Leonard can’t remember anything for longer than 30 seconds then before he has a chance to perceive the sensation the sensation will be lost and forgotten.
If you have not see the movie Memento you should. It is an amazing movie. I have attached the trailer below.
By: Emily Maxwell
No comments:
Post a Comment