Memory Flashcards
- is the process in which experience changes the brain
learning
the brains ability to store and access the learned effects of experiences
memory
is the loss of memory for events or information learned before the amnesia-inducing brain injury
retrograde amnesia
- is loss of memory for events or learned information occurring after the amnesia-inducing brain injury
anterograde amnesia
type of memory that stores new information for brief periods of time while a person attends to it
short-term memory
type of memory that is typically assessed with the digit span test
short-term memory
- type of memory that stores new information once the person stops attending to it
long-term memory
- type of memory that occurs when information about a new experience can still be recalled even after you have stopped thinking about it
long-term memory
is the transfer of short-term memories into long-term memories
memory consolidation
process that gradients of retrograde amnesia provide evidence for, such as when concussions preferentially disrupt recent memories and leave more remote memories intact
memory consolidation
process that is occurring when the storage of a memory is strengthened
memory consolidation
process that, according to Hebb’s theory, involves the converting of neural activity to structural changes in the involved synapses
memory consolidation
process that is disrupted by electroconvulsive shock when those memories that had not yet been converted to structural synaptic changes are erased from storage
memory consolidation
type of memory that are conscious long-term memories
explicit memory
type of anterograde memory that is selectively impaired in cases of medial temporal lobe amnesia
explicit memory
type of anterograde memory that was selectively impaired in the case of patient H.M.
explicit memory
type of memory that allows more flexible use of information
explicit memory
type of memory which are memories that are expressed by improved performance without conscious awareness
implicit memory
type of anterograde memory that is selectively preserved in cases of medial temporal lobe amnesia
implicit memory
type of anterograde memory that was selectively preserved in the case of patient H.M.
implicit memory
type of memory that patient H.M. demonstrated was preserved based on his performance on mirror-drawing, rotary pursuit, incomplete-pictures, and conditioning tests
implicit memory
type of memory that is typically assessed by repetition priming tests
implicit memory
type of memory that does not allow knowledge to be used in a different way or in a different context from how it was learned
implicit memory
type of implicit memory effect that is demonstrated if a subject is faster at completing a fragmented version of a previously shown word but does not recall having seen it
priming
type of implicit memory effect that is demonstrated if a subject is faster at identifying a fragmented drawing of a previously shown picture but does not recall having seen it
priming
type of explicit memory that is for general facts or information
semantic memory
type of explicit memory that patients with medial temporal lobe amnesia have LESS difficulty with
semantic memory
type of explicit memory that is preserved if you have difficulty remembering specific events from your life but your memory for general information is fine
semantic memory
type of memory that allows you to remember details about a movie even though you can’t remember having seen it before
semantic memory
type of memory that allows you to remember factual knowledge but not skills or the actual experiences from which you learned this knowledge
semantic memory
type of explicit memory that is for particular events in one’s life
episodic memory
type of explicit memory that patients with medial temporal lobe amnesia have particular difficulty with
episodic memory
type of explicit memory that is impaired if you have difficulty remembering specific events from your life but your memory for general information is fine
episodic memory
type of memory that is impaired if you can’t remember attending your French lectures but can still use the French language you learned from it
episodic memory
type of memory that is sometimes referred to as autobiographical memory and has been likened to traveling back in time mentally and experiencing one’s past
episodic memory
type of memory that allows you to remember experiences from your life but not the skills and factual knowledge you gained from them
episodic memory
theory that states that memories are temporarily stored in the hippocampus until they can be transferred to a more stable cortical storage system
standard consolidation theory
theory that explains temporally graded retrograde amnesia as being due to loss of the brain location that was temporarily storing those memories before they could be transferred
standard consolidation theory
theory that states that memories are encoded in a distributed fashion throughout the hippocampus and other brain structures for as long as the memories exist
multiple-trace theory
according to this theory retained memories become progressively more resistant to disruption by hippocampal damage because they form new connections to other memories
multiple-trace theory
selective damage to this brain structure is responsible for transient global amnesia: a type of amnesia that produces severe anterograde amnesia and moderate retrograde amnesia for explicit episodic memories, and that typically lasts only between 4 to 6 hours
hippocampus
brain structure that, based on the case of patient H.M., was theorized to play a special role in memory consolidation
hippocampus
brain structure within the medial temporal lobe that plays only a minor role in object-recognition compared to the adjacent medial temporal cortex
hippocampus
bilateral lesions of this brain structure invariably disrupt the performance of tasks that involve memory for spatial location, such as the Morris water maze test and the radial arm maze test
hippocampus
brain structure that contains neurons that respond only when a subject is in specific locations (known as place cells)
hippocampus
area of the brain that is composed of the medial thalamus and the medial hypothalamus
medial diencephalon
damage to this area of the brain is most associated with the memory deficits of Korsakoff patients, although diffuse damage to other brain regions that can also be seen in these patients makes it hard to identify which part is specifically responsible for the amnesia
medial diencephalon
brain structure that plays an important role in storing memories of visual input
inferotemporal cortex
the activity of this brain structure is associated with both the learning of relationships between visual images and the later retrieval of these visual memories
inferotemporal cortex
brain structure that is thought to play a special role in memory for the emotional significance of experiences
amygdala
rats with lesions to this brain structure, unlike intact rats, do not respond with fear to a neutral stimulus that has previously been followed by electric foot shock
amygdala
patients with bilateral damage to this brain structure cannot acquire conditioned autonomic startle responses to various visual or auditory stimuli but have good explicit memory for the training
amygdala
brain structure that does not appear to store memories but rather is involved in strengthening emotionally significant memories stored in other structures
amygdala
brain structure that is largely responsible for making emotion-provoking events be remembered better than neutral events
amygdala
patients with damage to this brain structure often display both anterograde and retrograde deficits in memory for the temporal order of events, even when they can remember the events themselves
prefrontal cortex
patients with damage to this brain structure often display deficits in working memory: the ability to maintain relevant memories while a task is being completed
prefrontal cortex
patients with damage to this brain structure often have difficulty performing tasks that involve a series of responses
prefrontal cortex
brain structure that is thought to participate in the storage of implicit memories for sensorimotor tasks, such as Pavlovian conditioning of the eye-blink response to a tone
cerebellum
brain structure that is thought to participate in the storage of implicit memories for sensorimotor tasks, and in particular in the storage of memories for consistent relationships between stimuli and responses
basal ganglia
brain structure that stores the type of memories that develop incrementally over many trials and is involved in the type of learning of known as habit formation
basal ganglia
brain structure that, in addition to its role in sensorimotor memory, also plays a role in certain types of memory with no obvious motor component (such as improvements in solving a probabilistic discrimination problem) but that is not necessary for explicit memory
basal ganglia
damage to this brain structure would prevent improvements in performance on a weather forecasting game (in which the task is to correctly predict the weather by learning the probability of different stimuli leading to sunshine) but would not prevent conscious memory for the training episodes
basal ganglia
