Exam 3 Flashcards
How did HM come to have amnesia?
Took out hippocampus
What kind of amnesia did HM have? What was spared?
- Severe Anterograde Amnesia
- Moderate Retrograde Amnesia
- Can’t remember 11 years before the surgery
- some retrograde w/ anterograde is typical
Retrograde Amnesia
Inability to recall old memories
-HM has this moderately/retrograde
Anterograde Amnesia
- Inability to form new memories
- HM could not do at all if distracted
What things did we learn about memory from HM?
- memory systems
- lasting memories
- 2 types of long-term memories
HM and memory systems
- Memory is not just one thing
- it is a system of brain functions
- can still work with new information: working memory intact
- can still remember life before surgery: long-term memory system
- without MTL could not transfer from working to long-term memory
- impaired consolidation process
Working memory
What are you working on right now and how are you manipulating it
Long-term memory
- memories that we have consolidated to keep longer
- 2 types
- declarative (explicit)
- nondeclarative (implicit)
Consolidating
- the process from working memory to long term memory
- reconsolidating makes the memory stronger
Lasting memory–> HM
- HM could get better at the mirror drawing task without being aware of doing it previously
- Procedures: learned to trace object while looking in mirror
- Skills: leaned to play backgammon
- all done with no conscious awareness
Declarative (Explicit) long-term memory
- cannot be consolidated
- memories for events and facts, things that can be declared
- can be communicated flexibly
- has content that is consciously accessible
- can be acquired in a single exposure
- e.g. first time rode bike, remembering what an eggplant is, remembering first time ate an eggplant
Nondeclarative (Implicit) long-term memory
- can be consolidated from working memory
- skill memories
- are difficult to convey except by direct demonstration
- may be acquired without awareness
- requires several repetitions
- e.g. remembering how to ride a bike and explain how you know it
What are the different types of Explicit memories? How do they differ from implicit memories?
- Episodic and Semantic memories
- easy to communicate compared to implicit
- can learn it in a single experience unlike implicit
- can consciously access the information unlike implicit
Episodic memories
- type of long-term explicit memory
- memories traced to a specific event
- specific date/time/context
- e.g. using an eggplant as a weird example in class
Semantic memories
- type of long-term explicit memory
- facts, definitions and knowledge
- no clear date/time/context
- e.g. I know this history fact but I don’t remember where or when I learned it
Do nonhuman animals have memory? What kinds? How do you know its declarative (explicit)?
- have semantic memory
- can be debated that some have episodic memory
- this can be defined that they know it
Radial arm maze
- indicates semantic memory
- doesn’t matter where rat starts in maze after learned it. They go right to the food
- demonstrates flexible use of memory indicating semantic memory
Scrub Jays
- indicate episodic memory
- bury worms and nuts in places they will remember
- after 4 hours recover the worms
- after 124 hours recover nuts and don’t bother with worms
- suggests ability to recall details of what, where, and when
Encoding
- initial storage of memory
- WHAT THINGS MUST EXIST FOR ENCODING PROCESS?
What things make for better encoding? First thing
- Prior knowledge helps
- balloon story by Bransford & Johnson
- no picture=25% remembered
- pic before story=60% remembered
- pic after story=30% remembered
- background knowledge dramatically enhances encoding
- balloon story by Bransford & Johnson
What makes for better encoding? thing 2
-Levels of processing
-how you process it matters
MOST SHALLOW & REMEMBER POORLY
-Orthographic (how letters look)
-Phonological (sounds)
-Semantic (meaning)
-Self-reference
DEEP & REMEMBERED BETTER
What is transfer-appropriate processing?
participants learn 2 lists, one on land the other underwater. tested in same context and in different context.
- retrieval works best when conditions are similar to encoding conditions
- levels of processing more important
- e.g. study the way you will be tested
Why do retrieval cues matter?
- the more cues provided, the easier the recall
- recognition test (question + response options) <–essay question
Desirable difficulties
the fewer the cues you study with the better you will learn and do on the test
Forgetting
- had the memory at one point
- even if perfectly encoded, still substantial forgetting (dinner a year ago)
- slows with time, long lasting memories tend to be permanent (if you remember an event 15 years ago then you will prob continue remembering it for long time)
- directed forgetting (telling people to forget) can increase forgetting<–tell them about accumulative final vs never needing it again
- evidence: forgetting curve after TV show airing
Interference
- similar/overlapping info can cause storage and retrieval errors
- proactive: old info interferes with new info (learned french now trying spanish)
- retroactive: new info interferes with old stuff (can’t remember any french)
- evidence- list 1 and 2. proactive if remember list 1, retroactive if remember list 2
proactive interference
- old memories in the way of new ones
- remember list 1
- learning new section of routine
retroactive interference
- new memories block old memories
- remember list 2
- learning new routine
Missatribution errors
- one memory failure is incorrectly linking memories to their source
- 3 types
misinformation effect
- type of missatribution error
- info is correctly remembered by associated with incorrect source (joe told you a rumor but actually jane told you…oops)
- exposure to inaccurate info can lead to production of that info later on
- evidence: shown video of car accident
- did the car stop at the stop sign?
- how fast were cars going when they ___ each other?
source amnesia
- info is correctly remembered but source is not remembered
- happens for a lot of semantic memories
- e.g. remember rumor but don’t know who told you
Cryptomnesia
- remembering someone else’s idea as ones own
- think it was an original idea but it wasn’t
- e.g. project idea
false memory
- memories are malleable. can be modified and manipulated after encoding
- participants shown list of words related to specific, topic not on the list
- list of words with association to one specific word that is not on the test. (sleep)
- false confidence
- false details: reporting details that are false memories
- DRM paradigm
Deese-Roediger-McDermott Paradigm shows us…
- memory illusion-false memory (implanted false memory
- gist of list, relation between words
- assume words are in the list when only associated with the items in the list
Tips to lawmakers about eye-witnesses
- not too much you can do
- do not rely on witness though
- rely on hard evidence such as DNA and fingerprints
how long does consolidation take?
- initial storage very fragile but becomes stronger as used
- consolidation is the strengthening the stability of stored information
- not set time to consolidate but it can still be fragile for 2-3 years after memory is formed
- brain injury and disruption affects recent memories much more than late memories (retrograde temperal gradient)
- best remember things 2-5 years out
where is semantic memory stored? use evidience
- cerebral cortex- when showed a picture of steve carrell certain neurons fired showing that it hold semantic memory
- stored across many specialized processing centers int he cortex (visual cortex, olfactory cortex, anything associated with the memory)
- hippocampus and left frontal cortex showed in FMRI scanner while remembering list
how do we know MTL is implicated in memory? what kinds of memory?
- lesions to MTL produce anterograde amnesia (like HM)
- complex picture drawing
- normal person can draw figure as a copy and with a few mistakes after a delay
- the EP (HM) copy is fine but have no idea what to draw after a delay
- this is a failure to consolidate/store the memory
what evidence was found from FMRI studies demonstrating that the MTL is implicated in memory?
- hippocampus and left frontal cortex showed in FMRI scanner while remembering list
- deep processing = more MTL activity = better encoding
- images produce bilateral MTL activation
Standard consolidation theory
- during learning MTL uses other cortex’s to form memory
- consolidation is memory becoming independent of MTL
- once the memory has been consolidated it not longer needs MTL but you will always have it
- memories in consolidation during injury lost bc not fully consolidated yet (explains temperal gradient)
Multiple memory trace theory
- MTL helps organize and distribute semantic facts into specific episodic memories all over the brain
- true episodic memories are never independent of MTL
- pulling together all memories from around the brain to create episodic memory
- when injured memories become more factual than actual episodic memories
- explains severe retrograde amnesia.
Frontal cortex role and evidence
- role of storage, organization and retrieval for declarative memories (controls flow in and out of working and long-term memory)
- selecting info to be encoded
- retrieving info back to working memory
- evidence:
- when frontal lobe damaged causes problems of recalling details
- frontal lobe seems to control hippocampus activity and possible guiding of consolidation
- more frontal lobe activity = more MTL activity (direct forgetting)
role of diencephalon and basal forebrain and evidence
- MTL regualted by basal forebrain and both are regulated by diencephalon
- damage to areas causes anterograde and retrograde amnesia
- damage (strokes) to basal forebrain cause confusion with free association (whatever comes to mind when it comes up) and reality
- think about hitting someone bc mad but don’t realize that realistically you never hit them
Korsakoff’s disease
effects diencephalon thiamine (B1) deficiency -typically seen in chronic alcoholics patients act like thhey have MTL damae, but damage is to die... and other structures have amnesia
transient global amnesia
- temp memory disruption
- caused by lack of blood to brain, concussion, heart attack, low blood sugar, stroke, alcohol black out
- imaging studies suggest transient abnormatlities to hippocampus
- retrograde amnesia gets worse
- more likely to happen again every time
functional amnesia
results from psychological cause (trauma)
- causes severe retrograde amnesia for semantic memory due to temporary anterograde amnesia
- disaccossiate mind from body like lumberjack did through travel
- loss of personal identity due to severe psych trauma (can be faked to get out of old life or crime)
1) retrograde amnesia
2) anterograde
3) transient global
4) functional
1) loss of old memories
2) inability to create new memories
3) temporary memory disruption due to medical issues
4) temporary memory disruption due to psych issue
diff between macro and micro mnemonics
Anything that aids memory retention
macro- general techniques
micro- specific info
types of mnemonics
macro -elaboration -testing -interleaving -spacing micro -imagery -link-method method of loci
