Which of the Following Illustrates the Controversy About the Exact

question 404

Multiple Choice

Which of the following illustrates the controversy about the exact details of the sad case of Phineas Gage?

• A) No one can really know the exact location of the brain damage since Gage was cremated and it was not possible to exhume his skull for scientific study.
• B) Because Gage died within three weeks of the accident it was not possible for his physicians to make long-term observations of the effect of the injury.
• C) Because Gage was paralyzed after his injury it was difficult to determine which aspects of his behaviour were due to the accident and which were due to depression.
• D) No one is really sure what Gage was like before his accident, and the doctors may have exaggerated the extent of his personality transformation.

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Definitions:

Inaccurate Memories

Recollections of past events that are either distorted or entirely fabricated.

Videotape

A magnetic tape used for storing visual and audio information, historically used before digital recording became mainstream.

Proactive Interference

A phenomenon where older memories hinder the recall of newer memories.

Retroactive Interference

A cognitive event where recent information hampers the retrieval of older information that was learned earlier.