L6 - Forgetting and Consolidation

Question 1

What are the two main reasons for forgetting?

Answer 1

• Decay

- Interference

Question 2

What is decay?

Answer 2

The fading of a memory over time, causing information from that memory trace to be lost.

The amount remembered is dependent on the time since encoding.

Question 3

What is interference?

Answer 3

The disruption of memory traces by other material.

The amount remembered is dependent on the number of events to occur between encoding and retrieval.

Question 4

What is more influential in forgetting: decay or interference?

Answer 4

Believed to be interference - based on a study by Minami & Dallenbach (1946), who investigated the memories of cockroaches after keeping some isolated. One group did nothing, while the other had events occurring throughout the experiment. Those who did nothing remembered more.

Question 5

What is consolidation?

Answer 5

The fixation of information in long term memory, a process that can last for several hours, days or years.

Question 6

What is the evidence for consolidation?

Answer 6

• Ebbinghaus’ forgetting curve

- Cognitive neuroscience

Question 7

How does Ebbinghaus’ forgetting curve support evidence for consolidation?

Answer 7

Shows that memory traces are most vulnerable shortly after learning - when the most amount of forgetting occurs.

Question 8

How does cognitive neuroscience support the existence of consolidation?

Answer 8

Shows that there are two distinct stages to consolidation:

• temporary storage in hippocampus
• transference of information from hippocampus to cortex, which distributes it to several different areas.

Question 9

What is anterograde amnesia?

Answer 9

Reduced ability to remember information acquired after the onset of amnesia/amnesia-causing event.

Question 10

What is retrograde amnesia?

Answer 10

The loss of memory for events that occurred before the amnesia developed.

Question 11

What is the link between cognitive neuroscience and retrograde amnesia?

Answer 11

Retrograde amnesia is said to affect the information held in the temporary storage systems in the hippocampus, as it had not yet consolidated.

Question 12

What are 5 characteristics of dementia?

Answer 12

• Progressive and irreversible disease which results in death
• Memory loss and language deficits are tell-tale signs
• Neurological disorder, caused by progressive cell death
• Impairment in social behaviour
• At least one specific condition/branch of impairments

Question 13

What are the 4 specific conditions/branch of impairments that are implicated in dementia?

Answer 13

• Aphasia
• Apraxia
• Agnosia
• Abstract thinking/executive function impairments.

Question 14

What is aphasia?

Answer 14

Language impairments

Question 15

What is apraxia?

Answer 15

Motor memory impairments

Question 16

What is agnosia?

Answer 16

Sensory memory impairments

Question 17

Which condition involves language impairments?

Answer 17

Aphasia

Question 18

Which condition involves motor memory impairments?

Answer 18

Apraxia

Question 19

Which condition involves sensory memory impairments?

Answer 19

Agnosia

Question 20

Which visuospatial impairments develop as a result of dementia?

Answer 20

• visual recognition: difficulty recognising familiar faces

- spatial deficits: getting lost in familiar surroundings

Question 21

What is an example of cortical dementia?

Answer 21

Alzheimer’s

Question 22

What is an example of subcortical dementia?

Answer 22

Parkinson’s

Question 23

What is semanticisation?

Answer 23

The development of an episodic memory into a semantic memory

Question 24

What is semantic dementia?

Answer 24

Degeneration of the anterior temporal lobe, causing impaired semantic memory.