Understanding H.M.'s Memory Difficulties

Explanation:

H.M. refers to Henry Molaison, famously known as H.M., who suffered from severe memory problems after undergoing brain surgery to remove parts of his hippocampus and amygdala to manage his seizures. This resulted in significant anterograde amnesia, meaning he struggled to form new memories, especially explicit ones.

His procedural memory, related to skills and routines, remained intact while his ability to recall recent events was impaired. This meant he would find it challenging to remember what he ate for breakfast on a particular morning. This difficulty stemmed from his inability to create new episodic memories, which are memories of specific events.

Contrastingly, memories related to his past, such as the name of his first grade teacher or his childhood home address, would likely stay unaffected. These memories were formed before the surgery and therefore stored differently in his brain. Even factual information like the number of days in June, considered as semantic memory not requiring recent information retention, would be easier for him to recall.

Thus, the correct answer is d. what he ate for breakfast this morning.