SDAM (Severely Deficient Autobiographical Memory)
Psychology
Definition
SDAM is a memory condition where episodic autobiographical memories are severely limited. Affected individuals cannot mentally return to past experiences, although factual knowledge is preserved.
Detailed Explanation
Severely Deficient Autobiographical Memory (SDAM) refers to a specific impairment of episodic memory for personal experiences. People with SDAM cannot vividly remember their own experiences; they know what happened but cannot mentally "relive" it. SDAM frequently overlaps with aphantasia, as both impair the ability for mental time travel — the overlap is substantial, though an exact, robustly established percentage has not been published. Nevertheless, they are separate phenomena: not all aphantasics have SDAM and vice versa. SDAM was researched by Brian Levine at the University of Toronto. Affected individuals often have intact factual memories and semantic memory. The effects on daily life vary; many compensate through photographs, diaries, and external memory aids.
Keywords
- SDAM
- autobiographical memory
- recall
- episodic
- Levine
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Related Terms
- AphantasiaAphantasia is the inability to voluntarily create mental images. People with aphantasia cannot visualize faces, places, or objects in their mind's eye, although they can recognize and describe them. The term was coined by neurologist Adam Zeman in 2015.
- Episodic MemoryEpisodic memory stores autobiographical memories of personal experiences with spatial, temporal, and emotional context. It enables "mental time travel" into one's own past.
- Default Mode NetworkThe Default Mode Network (DMN) is a network of brain regions active during daydreaming, self-reflection, and mental time travel. Early studies point to altered activation patterns in people with aphantasia (hypothesis, not yet conclusively established).
External Resources
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