biology approach to learning and memory Flashcards
What is learning?
The change of behaviour due to our past experiences
What are the two types of learning?
Direct and Latent
What is direct learning?
When you list a recall something
What is latent learning?
Learning does not produce an immediate evidence change of behaviour it can be express later
What are the fundamental premises of this approach?
1- Different types of learning and memory
2- Evidenced by disruption of different types of learning or memory by disruption or damage to different areas of the brain
by activation of those areas during different types of learning
Issues with this approach?
The area can be damaged and be connected to other areas
Studies in the brain need to be done carefully
What areas of the brain consolidate memory?
Amygdala and Hippocampus
What structure of the brain leads to memory?
There is not a single structure that leads to memory alone.
What is perceptual learning?
Process by which the ability of sensory systems to respond to stimuli is improved through experience.
perceptual learning is experience-dependent enhancement of our ability to make sense of what we see, hear, feel, taste or smell. These changes are permanent or semi-permanent, as distinct from shorter-term mechanisms like sensory adaptation or habituation.
Example of perceptual learning?
Distinguish different odours; musical pitches and ability to discriminate between different shades of colours
What is classical conditioning?
is a type of learning that happens unconsciously. When you learn through classical conditioning, an automatic conditioned response is paired with a specific stimulus. This creates a behaviour
A type of learning involving making associations between behaviours and outcomes.
What is instrumental conditioning?
In instrumental conditioning, reinforcement or punishment are used to either increase or decrease the probability that a behaviour will occur again in the future.
What is the 3 term contingency?
These connections are often expressed as the 3 term contingency.
Discriminative stimulus (SD) – something that can be signal
That leads to a response (R) and that response is
Reinforcement or punishment ( Sr + or -)
Antecedent the behaviour
The behaviour leads to a consequence
Explanation of instrumental conditioning:
Basal ganglia receive sensory info. from all parts of the cortex and info from the frontal cortex about planned movements or movements in progress. The output to the premotor and supplementary motor areas where movements are planned and to the motor cortex where they are executed. Lesions of the basal ganglia in monkeys disrupt instrumental learning but not other types of learning (Gaffan and Eacott 1995). Similarly, patients with damage to the basal ganglia as in Parkinson’s disease can show disruption of procedural memory involved in skills but intact semantic and episodic memory.
What routes are involved in instrumental conditioning?
- Involves 2 routes ( 1. between the sensory and motor association cortices (transcortical); 2- Via the basal ganglia and thalamus (subcortical))
What is relational learning?
Complex learning, linked to memories
e.g. recognising a friend may involve remembering their name, sound of the voice, last time you saw them, last things you did together, conversations etc.
What was the HM removed parts of the brain?
Most of the hippocampus, amygdala and adjacent cortex
What is anterograde amnesia?
Back, remember the past; he wasn’t forming long-term memories. No problem in short term memories.
What were the main contributions of H.M.?
Importance of medial temporal lobes to memory- due to the removal of it
Importance of hippocampus to memory – leads to a huge focus on this area
Different modes of storage for STM and LTM
Role of medial temporal lobes in consolidation from STM to LTM
The distinction between explicit (declarative) and implicit (procedural) memories
Separation of memory from general cognition, attention or perception
What is explicit (declarative) memory?
you can consciously recall and explain the information.
What is implicit (procedural) memory?
unconscious, long-term memory; which aids the performance of particular types of tasks without conscious awareness of these previous experiences. Procedural memory guides the processes we perform, and most frequently resides below the level of conscious awareness.
What is implicit (procedural) memory; for example?
Riding a bike is another example. Even after going years without riding one, most people are able to hop on a bike and ride it effortlessly.
memory tests used to assess H.M.’s anterograde amnesia?
Mirror Drawing Test;
The Hippocampus and object recognition test?
Delayed Nonmatching-to-Sample Trial and The Mumby Box
A monkey sees a series of car and underneath that is food. A screen is there lowered and the monkey sees the object and an unfamiliar object and he has to choose the new object to receive the food.
