Retrograde amnesia is a form of amnesia where someone is unable to recall events that occurred before the development of the amnesia. There were some observations about on this subject. According to the observation, electroconvulsive shock is cause retrograde amnesias. Also other trauma purposed recently formed associations are especially subject to disruption. This observation suggests that there is a process of fixating memory traces which operates for a period after each learning episode. The memory trace is especially vulnerable to disruption the earlier the trauma. However observation could be demonstrate also by assuming that the more immediate administrations of ECS induced more fear of the goal, and hence conflict, which interfered with performance.
In Duncan experiment, there is fear or conflict because of avoidance response’s association at the shorter intervals with some aversive electroconvulsive shock itself would have same effects as amnesia. Duncan understood that against use of fear and conflict to explain the effects of the ECS.
In this experiment, Miller and Coons replicated Duncan’s experiment. 37 rats were subject in first experiment. All animals, while four days thirsty, were habituated to having electrodes clamped to their ears for brief intervals by pairing each electrode application with a water reward from an eye dropper. Each animal was weighed on the fourth day following habituation. Testing covered 27 consecutive days. Each 5 received one trial per day of being placed in the "dark" compartment where the 112-v. Shock came on after 10.6 second and stayed on. Results replicated Duncan’s result and also result provides evidence for increased fear as measured by urination and defecation in the rats receiving the ECS after each learning trial.
In second experiment the rat’s task was to learn to stop performing an avoidance response when the electric shock was turned off and a shock was introduced into the other place. Under these conditions, learning was faster the sooner the ECS followed each trial. Amnesia which produced by ECS was overridden by increased fear induced by the ECS. Result of this experiment can prove the occurrence of retrograde amnesia.
Coons, E.E., Miller, M.E., Conflict versus Consolidation of Memory Traces to Explain “Retrograde Amnesia” Produced by ECS, Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology MIGO, Vol. 53, No, 6, 524-531
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