Final answer:
Memory defects such as those seen in patient H.M, who had anterograde amnesia after hippocampi removal, show how specific brain areas are responsible for different types of memory. Metamemory, or knowledge about one's memory capabilities, can be compromised in such cases. The prefrontal cortex is involved in managing cognitive tasks, further illustrating the brain's role in memory function.
Step-by-step explanation:
Human frontal memory defects often impact metamemory, which is the self-monitoring and knowledge about one's own memory processes. These defects can be evident after brain trauma such as the case of patient H.M, who had his hippocampi removed. After the surgery, H.M exhibited anterograde amnesia, losing the ability to form new memories, specifically declarative and episodic memories. Despite this, procedural memory skills, like solving puzzles, improved with practice.
These observations suggest that different memory types are compartmentalized within the brain. The prefrontal cortex and cerebellum also play significant roles in memory and managing cognitive tasks, such as set generation. H.M retained the ability to remember past events but lost semantic encoding capabilities for new information. Schacter's seven memory errors, including interference and amnesia, highlight the intricacies of human memory and its susceptibility to various faults.