AFFECTIVE/MOTIVATIONAL FACTORS IN ALCOHOLIC KORSAKOFF SYNDROME.
Item
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Title
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AFFECTIVE/MOTIVATIONAL FACTORS IN ALCOHOLIC KORSAKOFF SYNDROME.
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Identifier
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AAI8319759
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identifier
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8319759
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Creator
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DAVIDOFF, DONALD ALAN.
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Contributor
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Prof. Louis J. Gerstman
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Date
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1983
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Psychology, Clinical
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Abstract
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Researchers, in studying the profound anterograde amnesia of the alcoholic Korsakoff patient, have generally overlooked the motivational aspects of memory and learning. Additionally, the fact that such patients evidence limbic damage and present clinically with little initiative and flat affect suggests that affective/motivational factors might play a role in the disorder. This study assessed the role that such factors play in the recall of short stories by alcoholic Korsakoffs. Given the effects of motivation on learning, this investigation hypothesized that through the use of highly affective stimuli to evoke a higher level of motivation, increased learning and retention would result.;Patients with alcoholic Korsakoff syndrome, detoxified alcoholics and normal control subjects were read nine short stories, into each of which was inserted either a neutral, aggressive or sexual phrase. After each story was read once, subjects were asked for an immediate recall of the story. Following a 30-second delay, a second recall was elicited. Ten minutes elapsed between story presentations.;The substantive results of the study were three-fold: (1) the normals and alcoholics evidenced no differences as to amount recalled either by story type or by recall. (2) The Korsakoffs recalled proportionately more of the sexually-charged stories than either the aggressively charged or neutral stories, regardless of recall. (3) Although the Korsakoffs did initially recall proportionately more of the sexual stories, the proportion forgotten of each story from first to second recall was the same, regardless of emotional valence.;These results provide evidence that suggests there is an affectie/motivational component to the psychopathology of the Korsakoff syndrome. It has been demonstrated that highly affective stimuli evoked heightened attention and resulted in increased levels of learning. In terms of the encoding paradigm, this heightened attention allowed the Korsakoff patient to semantically encode more features of the stimulus material. That the rate of decay of information from memory showed no differential effects according to the valence of the stimulus refutes the argument that the basis for the Korsakoff's amnesia lies in their inability to encode semantically. Instead it effectively divides the memory deficit into two distinct components--one attentional and the other retentional.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
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Program
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Psychology
