brain and behaviour Flashcards
theory 1: stages of memory
registration: input from our senses into the memory system
encoding: processing and combining of received information
storage: holding of that input in the memory system
retrieval: recovering stored information from the memory system
theory II: duration
Conceptual divisions in memory systems • Sensory • Working or short term memory • Long-term memory
a model of memory
look at slides
- sensory registers
- working memory
- long term memory
theory III: types
see diagram
long term memory
-declarative (episodic, semantic)
-non-declarative (procedural, priming, conditioning, non-associative learning)
define episodic memeory
nvolves the medial temporal lobes including the hippocampus, entorhinal cortex, mammilary bodies, and parahippocampal cortex
memory systems:
- sematic
- procedural
- working
Memory systems: Semantic - Knowledge Procedural – how to do things Working – short term
memory disorders
• Total amnesia is rare, especially isolated amnesia with otherwise preserved cognition • Numerous neurological conditions can affect memory with varying lesion sites • Varying aspects of memory - e.g. episodic, semantic, anterograde, retrograde etc. – are affected in different ways by different disorders • Implicit memory or learning often intact in memory disorders
Theory V: modality
- Left hemisphere: Mainly concerned with verbal information processing
- Right hemisphere: Mainly concerned with non-verbal information
HOW DO WE REMEMBER? SERIAL POSITION EFFECT
-we remember the first and last words on the list due to the primary effect and the recency effect
The probability of recalling a word is related to
Order in the list Personal salience of words Number of words Chunking or other encoding strategy Delay time Distractio
how does the way we remember have clinical implications?
Give important information at beginning and end of consultation •Emphasise and repeat important information •Make salient to the person •Chunk information into meaningful categories •Avoid overloading with information
define phoneme:
Phoneme: the smallest unit of speech sound in a language that can signal a difference in meaning
define morphemes:
Morphemes: the smallest units of meaning in a language – Typically consist of one syllable – Morphemes are combined into words
syntax
• Rules and principles which govern the way in which morphemes and words can be combined to communicate meaning in a particular language • Theory of ‘universal grammar’ widely accepted: that under normal conditions human beings will develop language with particular properties (e.g. distinguishing nouns from verbs) • Pinker (1984) - children of speakers of pidgin languages which lack basic grammatical structures develop languages which are fully grammatical • An innate property of the brain that results in this
critical period in language acquisition
draw graph
down after 5ish
language acquisition
Exposure to other people using language required • Between ages 5 to puberty language acquisition becomes more difficult, based on: – Feral children – Brain injury at different ages – Second language acquisition
Broca’s (expressive) Aphasia
Characteristics: • Non-fluent speech • Impaired repetition • Poor ability to produce syntactically correct sentences • Intact comprehension
Wernicke’s (receptive) Aphasia
• Problems in comprehending speech (input or reception of language) • Fluent meaningless speech • Paraphasias – errors in producing specific words • Semantic paraphasias – substituting words similar in meaning (“barn” –“house”) • Phonemic paraphasias – substituting words similar in sound (“house” –“mouse”) • Neologisms – non words (“galump”) • Poor repetition • Impairment in writing
Conditions Associated with Aphasia
Lesions to the dominant hemisphere can be caused by: – Stroke – Traumatic brain injury – Cerebral tumour – Progressive neurodegenerative conditions
dysexecutive syndrome
Dysexecutive syndrome involves the disruption of executive function and is closely related to frontal lobe damage
executive functioning
Executive functioning skills are the mental processes that enable us to plan, focus attention, remember instructions, and juggle multiple tasks successfully. • Dysexecutive syndrome encompasses cognitive, emotional, and behavioural symptoms • Dysexecutive syndrome can result from many causes, including head trauma, tumours, degenerative diseases, and cerebrovascular disease, as well as in several psychiatric conditions
The Dysexecutive Syndrome: Behavioural & Emotional Aspects
- Lack of drive • Apathetic • Poor initiation of tasks • Emotional bluntness
- Theory of mind difficulties • Reduced empathy
- Hyperactivity • Impulsive • Disinhibited • Perseverative • Emotional dysregulation
- Socially inappropriate • Rude, crass, prone to swearing
the dysexecutive syndrome
-cognitive aspects
• Attentional and working memory difficulties • Poor planning & organisation • Difficulty coping with novel situations and unstructured tasks • Difficulty switching from task to task • Difficulty keeping track of multiple tasks • Difficulty with complex/abstract thinkin
Deficits associated with specific regions of the frontal lobes
– Orbito-frontal • Impulsivity, disinhibition
– Medial • Loss of spontaneity, initiation (akinetic mutism)
– Lateral • Inability to formulate and carry out plans
