Amnesia observed: remembering and forgetting in a natural environment.

The purpose of the present study was to provide information about the relationship between an amnesic patient's memory performance on laboratory tasks and in a natural environment. Several of the patient's mnemonic functions were systematically observed during two rounds of golf. The patient's memory for the events of the round, as indexed by his ability to find his tee shots and to remember his strokes on each hole, was severely impaired. In contrast, he demonstrated extensive general knowledge of golf and played the game with a substantial degree of skill. The pattern of preserved and impaired mnemonic abilities demonstrated by the patient on the golf course closely resembled his performance on laboratory tasks.