Learning and memory 2 Flashcards
what is spatial memory
map like cognitive representation of familiar spatial locations
what memory store is spatial memory related to
episodic memory
but can also have semantic spatial memory
what did Edward Tolman suggest
first to say that humans and rodents have a cognitive map of familiar environments
what is contemporary learning theory
accounts held that navigation was completed by rule learninf
describe rats and rewards
can learn the spatial position of rewards and use this information flexibly
what are the neural systems that support spatial memory and navigation
activation shown in right hippocampus
does the structure of the hippocampus change with navigational experience?
london taxi drivers example
they have larger posterioir hippocmapus size than control subjects
describe the correlation of london taxi drivers and posterior hippocampus size
increases as years working increases
what was morris’ water maze
tests spatial memory and navigation in rats to see if the hippocampus is needed for spatial memory
what does hippocampus damage in rats show
impairments in spatial memroy
what are place cells
neurons that fire when you are in a specific location
what are the inputs to the hippocampus
medial entorhinal cortex (MEC)
lateral entorhinal cortex (LEC)
where can place cells be found
in the hippocampus
is there spatial firing in the mEC
lesions of the dorsolateral band of MEC produce spatial memory / navigation deficits
what do head direction cells do
tell us which way we are facing- internal compass
