ABSTRACT
Kinsbourne and Wood originally applied the distinction between episodic and semantic memory to the amnesic syndrome to show because why amnesia considered a selective deficit of episodic memory. This chapter reviews the status of this suggestion and attempts to show how the concept of episodic memory clarifies amnesic symptomatology, whereas the amnesic deficit sharpens the understanding of the nature of episodic memory. Episodic memory refers to minimal adaptations to low probability events. It occurs under either of two extreme conditions. First, it occurs under conditions of extremely strong survival need, and considered obligatory. Second, it occurs under conditions of weak survival pressure and considered elective. The chapter reviews some representative experimental studies of the locus of amnesia to demonstrate that, regardless of the conclusions drawn by the investigators, in each case an alternative construction cannot be ruled out. In neuropsychology, one observes selective deficits that presumably result from the patient's loss of control over particular mental operations.
