Tom was knocked unconscious briefly during a game while playing on his high school's football team.He does not remember much about the immediate circumstances leading to the injury.Why?
A)There was insufficient time for memory storage in the cerebral cortex.
B)He was motivated to forget the event because of its unpleasant nature.
C)Synaptic consolidation of memories was interrupted by the head injury.
D)There was insufficient time for memory storage in the hippocampus.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Synaptic consolidation of memories was likely interrupted by the head injury, preventing the creation of long-term memories about the circumstances leading to the injury. The other answer choices are less likely explanations. There may have been enough time for memory storage in the hippocampus, but the injury disrupted the consolidation process. Tom's lack of memory is not necessarily due to motivation to forget, as this type of memory repression is rare and usually occurs in response to traumatic experiences. Similarly, the lack of memory is not necessarily due to insufficient time for memory storage in the cerebral cortex, as the cortex is involved in later stages of memory processing, after consolidation has occurred.

Tom Was Knocked Unconscious Briefly During a Game While Playing