Complex behaviour Flashcards
How do humans learn and exhibit complex behaviour?
The evolution of a larger brain and more cerebral cortex has allowed mammals and humans specifically to form neuron pathways in the brain allowing learning by experience and social behaviour.
How does learning something make it clear in our memory?
As a certain pathway is used more and more the brain recognises its more likely to send impulses here than other unused pathways and so these pathways are strengthened and the unused ones lost. This is why repetition can help learning.
How does the number of potential pathways in our brain develop over time?
In the brain there are lots of pathways available to be used allowing us to adapt to new situations, however as we get older less are available and so it is harder to learn things when we are older. An example of this is feral children who dont learnt to speak as a child and so when returned to society have a limited potential.
How can memory be divided?
There are two main types, short term and long term. Short term holds recent experiences for a brief amount of time. Long term holds our earliest memories and upwards for a long period of time.
What can help humans remember information?
Repetition takes information from short term to long term memory. Seeing a pattern in it or associations with strong stimulus (light, colour etc.) also helps.
How does a memory model show this process and what limitations does it have?
The multi-store model can be used to represent memory storage. It start with sensory memory then to take this to short term paying attention is required and then to long term requires repetition. Throughout there is the chance for forgetting and the model shows a basic and not detailed version of a process with many sub steps.
