The link between learning and memory is much more complex than the simple but erroneous assumption that they are two stages of the same system, as is demonstrated in the unique case of Clive Wearing (Casper, 2007). This low-level analysis of the relationship would not efficiently explain the musical abilities that were retained despite the presence of severe anterograde and retrograde amnesia. The situation can only be understood by further classifying both learning and memory by independent characteristics and evident subtypes.
Learning is the rather broad and progressive act of acquiring behaviors, skills, values, etc. and can be a conscious or unconscious process. The attainment of such qualities is necessarily goal-oriented where the desired outcome can be drawn from a number of sources including social influences, biological development mechanisms, and sex drive. The neural mechanisms through which learning occurs are also varied. For example, conditioning, association, observation, and repetition are only a few of the ways that things are learned.
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"The Relationship between Learning and Memory".
Memory is not only the result of learning but instead describes the encoding, storage, and retrieval of information independent of the source. At the level of the individual (as opposed to collectives) memory can be divided into the categories of implicit and explicit. Clive Weaver’s condition impacted his explicit memories, such as those regarding his identity, semantics, and episodic experiences, while leaving his implicit memories relatively stable. Procedures are a part of the implicit system and thus it can be understood that Weaver had sustained damage to parts of the brain that impact the explicit memory but not procedural memories. This theory is supported by evidence that the hippocampus is not necessary for learned procedures to be sustained.
