Learning and Memory Flashcards
Learning
Lasting change in behaviour resulting from experience
Acquiring new information and skills
Learning - Forms, Classical Conditioning, Pavlov
Pairing of two stimuli causes a change in response to one
Dogs study
Unconditioned stimulus produces an unconditioned response
Pairing UCS with a neutral stimulus produces UCR
After multiple pairings, NS will produce the CR without need for the UCS
Learning - Forms, Operant Conditioning, Skinner
Responses followed by reinforcement or punishmenet will be strengthened or weakened respectively
Rat study
Trained rats to press a level for food or avoid an area using shocks
Learning - Forms, Delayed Responses
Happenings which affect much later behaviour
e.g. eating a poisonous berry, being ill and then being averse to the berries forever
Learning - Forms, Insightful Behaviours
Searching or problem-solving to gain reward
e.g. monkey using a tool to get food from a box
Learning - Forms, Imitation
Copying of others behaviour
e.g. birdsong (not paired with reward)
Learning - Mechanisms, Pavlov
Conditioning strengthens to connections between the newly conditioned stimulus and usual unconditioned response via the original unconditioned stimulus
Learning - Mechanisms, Lashley 1930
If learning is a result of neural connections, a knife cut should abolish the learning
If specific connections explain learning of specific information, the size of physical damage should be proportional to the amount of retardation caused
Learning - Mechanisms, Lashley 1930, Mass Action
Assumption that the cortex works as a whole
If more of the cortex is active, learning will be more effective
Learning - Mechanisms, Lashley 1930, Engram
The physical representation of learning within the brain
e.g. the synapse connection
Located in the cortex
Learning - Mechanisms, Lashley 1930, Equipotentiality
All of the cortex contributes to learning equally, so much so that if one area were the be damaged, other areas can compensate for its function
Learning - Mechanisms, Thompson 1986, Engram
The engram of learning is located in the cerebellum
Learning - Mechanisms, Thompson 1986, Lateral Interpositus Nucleus
Inhibition of the LIN inhibits learning
When learning is suppressed, LIN shows no activity
Activity in LIN is required for retention and extinction of information
Learning - Mechanisms, Thompson 1986, Red Nucleus
Important for showing a learned response
Unsure whether you still learn implicitly as it cannot be shown
Memory
Process of acquiring knowledge and skills manifested in behavioural changes, based on an ability to retain what is learned
Memory - Encoding
Receiving, processing and combining information
Memory - Storage
Permanently recording encoded information
Memory - Retrieval, Recall, Recollection
Being able to call back the information from storage
Memory - Short-Term Memory, Hebb 1949
Holds information that has just been given for around 20-30 seconds
Memory - Short-Term Memory, Atkinson & Shiffrin 1968
All information must go via STM and be rehearsed before being consolidated to LTM
Memory - Working Memory, Baddeley & Hitch 1994
Temporary storage of information that is activley attended to and able to be worked on for a period of time
Memory - Working Memory, Chafee & Goldman-Rakic 1998
Delayed response task with single-unit neuron recording in parietal and prefrontal cortex
Shows that parietal activity can compensate for other areas of the brain during learning and memory consolidation
Memory - Working Memory, Hedden & Garbiela 2004
Lateral prefrontal cortex, primary visual cortex and hippocampus volume decrease with age
Can explain memory decline
Memory - Working Memory, Rosen et al 2002
Older individuals with intact memory show greater activity in lateral PFC, primary visual cortex and hippocampus
Memory - Declarative
Knowledge of facts requiring conscious awareness
Fast learning with little repetition
Verbally expressed
Memory - Procedural
Implicit knowledge of skills and abilities
Slow learning requiring much repetition
Expressed in performance
