For 3 years I could recall effortlessly the 16 digits of my credit card number. Realistically, I knew that was not a magical feat of memory, but I was still impressed at my ability to chunk and file those numbers in my long-term memory under 'credit card'. Between 2008 and 2011 I crammed lots of new information into my memory - English words, Italian words, telephone numbers and countless passwords - none of which impacted the recall of my credit card number. Then came the dreaded chip update. In 2011 my bank forced me to update my credit card to one with enhanced security in the form of a 'chip'... and 16 new digits. I immediately forgot my old number, yet my linguistic ability was unaffected, and I was still able to call up my friends and log on to my e-mail account. So why did I develop this selective amnesia?
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