Chapter 14 - Learning and Memory Flashcards
learning
a relatively permanent change in behavior as a result of experience
memory
ability to recall or recognize previous experiences
memory traces or engrams
occur both at the level of synapses through synaptogenesis and the level or neurons (neurogenesis). physical changes in the brain that caused by mental representations
classical conditioning
learning procedure in which a neutral stimulus induces a response after its repeated pairing with some event
neutral stimulus (NS)
any stimulus that does not elicit a conditioned response prior to the acquisition phase
unconditioned stimulus (US)
the stimulus that automatically elicits an unconditioned response
unconditioned response (UR)
the unlearned, automatic response evoked by an unconditioned stimulus
conditioned stilmus (CS)
an originally neutral stimulus that evokes the conditioned response after a learning process
conditioned response (CR)
a response evoked by an originally neutral stimulus associated with the unconditioned stimulus after a learning process
operant conditioning
is a learning procedure based on reinforcement. the consequences of certain behavior increase or decrease the chance that the behavior shown will take place again
implicit memory
unconscious memory. individuals can retrieve knowledge such as a skill, conditioned response, or event recall, but explicit retrieval is not possible. part of LTM
explicit memory
conscious memory. individuals can retrieve an explicit memory and indicate that they know the retrieved subject is correct. part of LTM
- semantic memory
- episodic memory
semantic memory
memory about facts
episodic memory
memory about personal experiences
patients with amnesia
partial or total loss of memory. they perform normal levels on tests of implicit memory. this indicates that there is a dissociation between the memory of the unconscious (implicit) learning and the conscious (explicit) recollection of the training
declarative memory
the ability to recount what one knows
procedural memory
the ability to perform a task and remember how to perform a movement or behavior
emotional memory
stores affective properties of stimuli or events; it is vivid and is both conscious and unconscious. part of LTM
anterograde amnesia
no storage of new memories, starting from a certain point in time
retrograde amnesia
less of existing memories; some memories may remain
Korsakoff syndrome
when people who abuse alcohol develop disturbances of the explicit memory. caused by the deficiency of thiamine
encoding
occurs when information changes into a form that can be stored in the brain
storage
this is the formation of a relatively permanent representation. this process required structural changes in the brain
recall
this is the retrieval of memories and the integration with existing memories
locating memory traces
Karl Lashley searched for it for a long time but never found it. he performed brain lesions on rats. this showed that memory cannot be attributed to a single cortical area and that it is distributed throughout the cortex
medial areas that take part in explicit memory
- hippocampus and amygdala
- perirhinal cortex
- parahippocampal cortex
- enthorhinal cortex
perirhinal cortex
involved in visual object memory
parahippocampal cortex
involved in visuospatial memory, which is the ability to use visual information to recall an objects location in space
enthorhinal cortex
provides major route for neocortical input to the hippocampal formation
hippocampus
mainly involved in spatial memory
consolidation of explicit reminders
there is an idea that the hippocampus consolidates new memories, this is the process of stabilizing a memory trail after learning
long term potentiation
a potential mechanism involved in learning and memory consolidation. LTP enhances transmission in existing synapses and enhances communication between neurons. two glutamate receptors are involved: AMPA and NMDA
long term depression
a prolonged decrease in synaptic effectiveness due to little stimulation. it results in strong bursts of low frequency stimulation. LTD is a potential mechanism for clearing out old memories
experience can change the brain in what two ways?
- it can modify existing circuitry through the creation of new synapses (synaptogenesis)
- it can create new circuitry (neurogenesis)
motor learning
also influences brain plasticity: training fine motor skills changes the somatotopic arrangement in the motor cortex
cortical reorganization
when the unused areas in the somatosensory cortex are taken over by adjacent areas
psychoactive drugs
when taken repeatedly, it can lead to sensitisation, which may amplify behavioral effects due to increased dendritic growth
ways to recover after brain damage
learning new ways to solve problems through behavioral adaptation, reorganizing existing neural circuits, and generating new neurons to create new neural circuits
