Memory Flashcards
acquisition
the first step of memory encoding in which sensory stimuli are acquired by short-term memory
amnesia
deficits in learning memory ability following brain damage or disease
anterograde amnesia
the loss of the ability to form new memories
classical conditioning
a type of associative learning in which a conditioned stimulus is paired with an unconditioned stimulus and becomes associated with it. The conditioned stimulus will then evoke a conditioned response similar to that typically evoked by the unconditioned stimulus.
consolidation
the process by which memory representations become stronger over time. consolidation is believed to include changes in the brain system participating in the storage of information
declarative memory
knowledge to which we have conscious access, including personal and world knowledge. The term declarative signals the idea that declarations can be made about this knowledge and that, for the most part, we are aware that we possess the information
dementia
a loss of cognitive function in different domains beyond what is expected in normal aging
encoding
the processing of incoming information to be stored. encoding consists of two stages: acquisition and consolidation
episodic memory
a form of declarative memory that stores autobiographical information about events in one’s life, including contextual information about those with whom they happened, and when, where, and why they happened.
hebbian learning
hebb’s theory of learning, which proposes that the mechanism underlying learning is the strengthening of synaptic connections that results when a weak input and a strong input act on a cell at the same time
hippocampus
a layered structure in the medial temporal lobe that receives inputs from wide regions of the cortex via inputs from the surrounding regions of the temporal lobe, and sends projections out to subcortical targets. the hippocampus is involved in learning and memory, particularly memory for spatial locations in mammals and episodic memory in humans
learning
the process of acquiring information
long-term memory
the retention of information over the long-term, from hours to days and years
long-term potentiation (LTP)
a process by which synaptic connections are strengthened when certain types of synaptic stimulation, such as prolonged high-frequency input, result in a long-lasting increase in the strength of synaptic transmission
memory
the persistence of learning in a state that can be revealed later
nonassociative learning
a type of learning that does not involve the association of two stimuli to elicit a behavioural change. it consists of simple forms of learning such as habituation and sensitisation.
non declarative memory
knowledge to which we typically have no conscious access, such as motor and cognitive skills (procedural knowledge). For example, the ability to ride a bike.
perception representation systems (PRS)
a form of non declarative memory, acting within the perceptual system, in primed by prior experience and can be revealed later through implicit memory tests
priming
a form of learning in which behaviour or a physiological response is altered because of a recent stimulus or state.
procedural memory
a form of non declarative memory that involves the learning of a variety of motor skills and cognitive skills
relational memory
memory that relates the individual pieces of information relevant to a particular memory and that supports episodic memories
retrieval
the utilization of stored information to create a conscious representation or to execute a learned behaviour like a motor act
retrograde amnesia
the loss of memory for events that happened in the past
semantic memory
a form of declarative memory that stores knowledge that is based on facts one has learned, but not knowledge of the context in which the learning occurred
sensory memory
the short-lived retention of sensory information, measurable in milliseconds to seconds, as when we recover what was said to us a moment earlier when we were not paying close attention to the speaker
-> echoic memory
-> iconic memory
short-term memory
the retention of information over seconds to minutes
storage
the permanent record resulting from the acquisition (creation) and consolidation (maintenance) of information
temporal gradient (ribot’s law)
the effect in which some cases of retrograde amnesia tend to be greatest for the most recent events
temporally limited amnesia
retrograde amnesia following brain damage that extends backward from the time of the damage but does not include the entire life of the individual
transient global amnesia (TGA)
a sudden, dramatic, but transient (lasting only hours) amnesia that is both anterograde and retrograde
working memory
a limited-capacity store for retaining information over the short-term (maintenance) and for performing mental operations on the contents of this store (manipulation)
unilateral temporal lobectomy
surgical removal of one temporal lobe, often to treat epilepsy
memory buffer
a temporary storage system for holding information during cognitive processing
sensory buffer
brief sensory storage for incoming stimuli, such as sights or sounds
alzheimer’s disease
a neurodegenerative disorder causing progressive memory loss and cognitive decline
beta-amyloid proteins
protein fragments that aggregate into plaques in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients
neurofibrillary tangles
twisted protein fibers inside neurons, associated with Alzheimer’s disease
vascular dementia
cognitive decline caused by reduced blood flow to the brain due to vascular issues
frontotemporal lobar dementias
a group of disorders involving degeneration of the frontal and temporal lobes
echoic memory
brief auditory sensory memory, lasting a few seconds
iconic memory
brief visual sensory memory, lasting less than a second
mismatch negativity (MMN)
a brain response to unexpected auditory stimuli, reflecting sensory prediction error
mismatch field (MMF)
the magnetic counterpart of MMN, detected using magnetoencephalography (MEG)
modal model
a cognitive model describing memory as three stages: sensory, short-term, and long-term storage
decay
the gradual fading of memory traces over time
interference
disruption of memory retrieval caused by competing information
maintenance (working memory)
repeating information to keep it temporarily active
manipulation (working memory)
reorganising or transforming information in working memory
central executive mechanism
the component of working memory that manages attention and tasks
phonological loop
the working memory subsystem for verbal and auditory information
visuospatial sketch pad
the working memory subsystem for visual and spatial information
explicit memory
conscious, declarative memory of facts and events
implicit memory
unconscious memory influencing behaviour, such as skills or habits
serial reaction-time task
a test measuring implicit learning through responses to repeating sequences
conceptual features
abstract properties defining the meaning of an object or idea
perceptual features
sensory properties, like shape or colour, used to recognise objects
semantic priming
faster recognition of a word due to prior exposure to a related concept
delay conditioning
a form of classical conditioning where the CS and US overlap in time
trace conditioning
a form of classical conditioning with a time gap between the CS and US
habituation
decreased response to a repeated, harmless stimulus
sensitisation
increased response to a repeated, intense stimulus
delayed non match-to-sample task
a memory test where subjects identify a novel object after a delay
place cells
hippocampal neurons that activate in specific spatial locations
contextual fear learning
associating fear with an environment where a negative event occurred
memory quality
the richness and accuracy of a recalled memory
binding problem
how the brain integrates separate features into a coherent perception and memory
binding-of-items-and-contexts (BIC) model
explains memory by linking items to their spatial and temporal contexts
relational memory theory
suggests the hippocampus encodes and retrieves relationships between items
successful retrieval effect (SRE)
enhanced brain activity during accurate memory retrieval
attention-to-memory model
proposes attention enhances memory encoding and retrieval by prioritising important information
standard consolidation theory
memories are initially dependent on the hippocampus but later stored in the cortex
multiple trace theory
hippocampus permanently stores detailed memories, while the cortex holds abstract versions
mossy fibers
axons from granule cells of the dentate gyrus projecting to hippocampal neurons
perforant pathway
connects the entorhinal cortex to the hippocampus, facilitating memory processing
schaffer collaterals
axons connecting CA3 to CA1 neurons in the hippocampus
cooperativity
strong synaptic activity from multiple inputs strengthens synaptic connections
associativity
pairing strong and weak inputs enhances the weak synaptic connection
specificity
only synapses that are active during stimulation are strengthened
