Lecture 1 Questions

Question 1

THREE STAGE MODEL OF MEMORY
what are the 3 components of the this model (atkinson & shiffrin, 1968)?

what are the major tasks assigned to each component during the STM-LTM conversion process?

Answer 1

1. sensory register - transduction & transducin
2. short term store - neuron patterns are given meaning
3. long term store - information is stored

Question 2

SENSORY REGISTER IN MEMORY ENCODING

how are the processes occurring during this stage essential for representing the exterior environment within the brain?

Answer 2

ultimately, they create a perception through transduction, integration and representation. Complete replica in Posterior Parietal, partial in PFC

Question 3

SENSORY REGISTER IN MEMORY ENCODING
identify the processes taking place in this stage and the sequential flow of information between separate brain regions during each process (summary of encoding slide)

Answer 3

1. reception - stimuli from the external environment is picked up by receptors (reception) and then is converted (transduced) into neural activity in the brain
2. nerve pathways - this neural activity is sent to the thalamus
3. sensory integration/relay thalamus - neural information in the thalamus is put together in different regions within the thalamus (integrated)
4. primary modal cortex (neocortex/sensory cortices) - newly integrated information is sent (further integrated) to (1) representative neocortices (2) straight to PFC via dorsal medial thalamus
5. PFC/association cortex - the association cortex receives the information from all sensory cortices and creates complete representation - mini replica in your brain - (perception)

Question 4

SENSORY REGISTER IN MEMORY ENCODING
how does knowledge of the functional and anatomical connections during this stage help to explain STM DEFICITS observed in Clive Wearing or in synesthesia?

Answer 4

Synesthesia - a neurological condition where stimulation of one sensory pathway leads to automatic experience in a secondary pathway

• information gets mixed up after it’s sent out from the thalamus
• multiple sensory cortices receive the information
• when information is assembled in the association cortex, there are multiple representations from the sensory cortices

Clive Wearing - damage from herpes encephalitis caused damage to the dorsal medial thalamus and the prefrontal cortex

• he was able to register what happened, but he couldn’t encode it
• information went to the thalamus, but it didn’t go any further

Question 5

ROLE OF THE SHORT TERM STORE IN MEMORY ENCODING

what is achieved in the short term store by the process known as REHEARSAL?

Answer 5

1. prevents information from being forgotten
2. allows maintenance and manipulation of information
3. ORGANIZES and ASSIGNS meaning to information

Question 6

ROLE OF THE SHORT TERM STORE IN MEMORY ENCODING
how does the short term store ORGANIZE and ASSIGN MEANING to new events?

which areas of the brain maintain a representation of experienced events so this information can be processed?

Answer 6

1. generates order by categorizing information with like features
2. allows for CAUSE & EFFECT relationships to be identified (time & space)
3. permits brain to act as a dvr and REWIND recent events for 1/2 to occur

Prefrontal Cortex and Association Cortex maintain representations of experienced events

Question 7

ROLE OF THE SHORT TERM STORE IN MEMORY ENCODING
how is information from the SENSORY REGISTER tagged or labeled as being “important/rewarding” so that attention is directed to it for further processing in the short term store?

Answer 7

the amygdala (arousing/important)
the ventral striatum (rewarding/important)

Question 8

ROLE OF THE SHORT TERM STORE IN MEMORY ENCODING
explain the role of the following structures in this process:
- thalamus
- amygdala
- ventral tegmentum & striatal regions
- primary sensory corticies
- posterior parietal cortex
- prefrontal cortex

Answer 8

• thalamus:
• amygdala: sends info to thalamus that is arousing
• ventral tegmentum & striatal regions: sends info to the amygdala that is rewarding
• primary sensory cortices: send info to the association cortex
• posterior parietal cortex: sends info to the PFC while maintaining a representation
• prefrontal cortex: site of working memory, active when maintaining what needs to be recalled

Question 9

ROLE OF THE SHORT TERM STORE IN MEMORY ENCODING
what experimental evidence in monkeys/humans provide evidence for a role of the prefrontal cortex in maintaining information in short term store?

Answer 9

delayed match to sample task - monkey trained to withhold a response until a “Go” signal appeared (activity was increased before the cue)

Question 10

ROLE OF THE SHORT TERM STORE IN MEMORY ENCODING
how does separate divisions of the frontal cortex enable interactions between short and long term memory during the “assigning meaning” phase of the short term store?

Answer 10

prefrontal cortex is the site of working memory and can pull information from the LTM if needed

prefrontal cortex holds “reactivated information from the long term memory to compare to new information deposited into stm

Question 11

generate 4 examples for real life conditions where the PFC/temporal lobe retrieval circuit is engaged

Answer 11

1. jeopardy
2. wheel of fortune
3. charades