brain and behaviour

Question 1

theory 1: stages of memory

Answer 1

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

Question 2

theory II: duration

Answer 2

Conceptual divisions in memory systems • Sensory • Working or short term memory • Long-term memory

Question 3

a model of memory

Answer 3

look at slides

• sensory registers
• working memory
• long term memory

Question 4

theory III: types

Answer 4

see diagram
long term memory
-declarative (episodic, semantic)
-non-declarative (procedural, priming, conditioning, non-associative learning)

Question 5

define episodic memeory

Answer 5

nvolves the medial temporal lobes including the hippocampus, entorhinal cortex, mammilary bodies, and parahippocampal cortex

Question 6

memory systems:

• sematic
• procedural
• working

Answer 6

Memory systems: Semantic - Knowledge Procedural – how to do things Working – short term

Question 7

memory disorders

Answer 7

• 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

Question 8

Theory V: modality

Answer 8

• Left hemisphere: Mainly concerned with verbal information processing
• Right hemisphere: Mainly concerned with non-verbal information

Question 9

HOW DO WE REMEMBER? SERIAL POSITION EFFECT

Answer 9

-we remember the first and last words on the list due to the primary effect and the recency effect

Question 10

The probability of recalling a word is related to

Answer 10

Order in the list Personal salience of words Number of words Chunking or other encoding strategy Delay time Distractio

Question 11

how does the way we remember have clinical implications?

Answer 11

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

Question 12

define phoneme:

Answer 12

Phoneme: the smallest unit of speech sound in a language that can signal a difference in meaning

Question 13

define morphemes:

Answer 13

Morphemes: the smallest units of meaning in a language – Typically consist of one syllable – Morphemes are combined into words

Question 14

syntax

Answer 14

• 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

Question 15

critical period in language acquisition

Answer 15

draw graph

down after 5ish

Question 16

language acquisition

Answer 16

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

Question 17

Broca’s (expressive) Aphasia

Answer 17

Characteristics: • Non-fluent speech • Impaired repetition • Poor ability to produce syntactically correct sentences • Intact comprehension

Question 18

Wernicke’s (receptive) Aphasia

Answer 18

• 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

Question 19

Conditions Associated with Aphasia

Answer 19

Lesions to the dominant hemisphere can be caused by: – Stroke – Traumatic brain injury – Cerebral tumour – Progressive neurodegenerative conditions

Question 20

dysexecutive syndrome

Answer 20

Dysexecutive syndrome involves the disruption of executive function and is closely related to frontal lobe damage

Question 21

executive functioning

Answer 21

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

Question 22

The Dysexecutive Syndrome: Behavioural & Emotional Aspects

Answer 22

• 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

Question 23

the dysexecutive syndrome

-cognitive aspects

Answer 23

• 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

Question 24

Deficits associated with specific regions of the frontal lobes

Answer 24

– Orbito-frontal • Impulsivity, disinhibition

– Medial • Loss of spontaneity, initiation (akinetic mutism)

– Lateral • Inability to formulate and carry out plans