Lecture 6 Flashcards
Learning definition
Change in behaviour from acquiring new knowledge about the world
Memory definition
Process by which knowledge is stored
Encoded -> Stored -> Retrieved
What are the two things that memory is classified by?
Temporality - Time course of information storage
Nature of the information stored
What are learning and memory essential for
Effective functioning and survival of humans/animals
Processes evolutionary stored across species
Explain how task memory links to working memory
Task rigid and specific - Involve order in time, sequence and space
Limited capacity system - temporarily holds info available for processing
Important for reasoning & guiding decision-making behaviour
Distinct from short-term memory (STM) as allows stored information to be manipulated
Limited Capacity – few bits of information at a time
Deleted after use
Dynamic memory that can be disturbed easily, prone to interference
If the information is lost (e.g. due to interference/distraction) there is no retrieval
Explain the classic rodent WM 8-arm maze task
- Arm baited with piece of food
- Animals free to explore arms, but need to remember arms already visited
- Information of no value after task completed
- Memory reset for next task
Time course of short and long term memory
Short-term memory (milliseconds to seconds)
- Storage of information, but info not manipulated
- Limited capacity
- Often data rich, not suitable to store all into LTM
- Selectively transferred to LTM
Long-term memory (days to years)
- Unlimited capacity?
Time course of memory
Working memory e.g. maths sum
Short-term memory e.g. remembering a phone call for later recall
Long-term memory e.g. what did you have for lunch yesterday?
What can long term memory be classified into?
Explicit or Implicit memory
Explicit memory (declarative)
‘Conscious memory’
Episodic (events) and semantic (facts)
Flexible - Multiple pieces of information associated under different circumstances
Implicit memory (non-declarative)
‘Unconscious memory’/automatic
Inflexible - tightly connected to conditions under which the learning occurred
Examples include priming, procedural (skills), associative learning, classical and operant consitioning, habituation and sensitisation
Non-associative implicit memory
- Changes in behaviour occurs whilst learning about one type of stimulus
Habituation:
- Repeated exposure of a stimulus that isn’t relevant
- Important to suppress irrelevant or misleading information
- Active process, no passive loss of activity
Sensitisation
Enhancing the response to key stimuli
Important to focus on relevant information (increasing the signal-to-noise ratio)
Eg. Cocktail party phenomenon (someone mentioning your name in a conversation).
Unconditional/Conditional stimulus example
US: Puff of air into eye
Neuron in somatosensory system sends electrical signal down synapse P (strong), causing blinking
CS: 1000-Hz tone
Neuron in auditory system sends electrical signal down synapse T (weak), causing blinking
Associative implicit memory
Associative Implicit Memory
Operant Conditioning (BF Skinner)
“trial and error learning”
Learning occurs when a random activity is paired with a reinforcer (positive or negative)
Performing some complex behaviour (eg. pressing a lever) becomes paired with a positive reinforcers (eg. food) or with negative stimuli (eg. a loud noise, bright light, shock)
4 Distinct operations of explicit learning
- Encoding - Pay attention to relevant details, link with established memory, influenced by motivation
- Storage - Neural mechanisms by which memory is retained over time
- Consolidation - Temporary and liable info becomes more stable, involves gene expression, protein synthesis and structural synaptic changes
newer concept of consolidation of long-term memory into neural systems (systems consolidation)
Stage 4: Retrieval
- retrieve stored information
- Re-consolidation
- once recalled information is actually labile and can be altered slightly (false-memories)
