module 1: how learning occurs Flashcards
list the four lobes of the brain
frontal
temporal
occipital
parietal
what is another term for the outer portion of the brain and which color matter is it?
cortex
gray matter
what is gray matter?
most cell bodies of neurons in the brain
what is the term for the bottom portion of the brain and what color matter?
subcortex
white matter
what is the subcortex comprised of?
long nerve fibers (axons) connecting cell bodies to other neurons
why is the tissue of white matter “white”?
axons are wrapped in fatty substances (myelin) that increase the speed at which signals are transmitted
which is the largest lobe of the brain?
frontal
what is the prefrontal cortex responsible for?
planning, higher order thinking, controlling emotions, problem solving
what is the motor cortex responsible for?
controls movement and position of limbs
what is the occipital lobe responsible for?
processing visual signals
which lobe works as a monitor in which pixels of light enter eyes are projected to see world around you?
occipital
what is the parietal lobe responsible for?
integrate signals from different regions of the body about temperature, touch, and pain and location of different parts of the body
what is the temporal lobe responsible for?
associated with hearing, interpreting language, speech, facial recognition
which lobe of the brain is the hippocampus located?
temporal
what is the hippocampus responsible for?
memory formation
what is the brainstem responsible for?
body functions controlled- heart and respiratory rate, digestion
level of alertness
list the parts of the limbic system
thalamus
hypothalamus
hippocampus
amygdala
what is the limbic system responsible for?
generation and processing emotions, links emotion, reason, and memory
what is the thalamus responsible for?
relay station for relaying information coming to the brain about senses and from cerebral cortex about memories
what is the only sense that bypasses the thalamus and why?
smell because it has its own pathway
what is the hypothalamus responsible for?
monitors body temperature, food and liquid intake, and sleep
may release hormones that affect those body functions
what is the hippocampus responsible for?
memory formation
converts short term to long term
what is the amygdala responsible for?
associated with emotions of fear and anxiety
“tags” memories for long term storage in the hippocampus if associated with emotions
describe the process of how learning occurs
- brain decides which sensory inputs are important enough to process further and which can be forgotten immediately, within the thalamus
- immediate memory vs working memory
- long term memory
- long term storage occurs when information is encoded by the hippocampus and doesn’t occur instantly but usually during deep sleep
describe immediate memory
prefrontal cortex
information held for half a minute where it’s either retained or forgotten
ex. you’re given a phone number and you remember just long enough to put into your phone
describe working memory
frontal lobes
stay focused for about 20 minutes before sensory input creeps in
motivation to stay focused
describe long term memory
based on prior knowledge, relevancy, and if it makes sense to you
list the parts of the forebrain
cerebrum
thalamus
hypothalamus
pituitary gland
what is the forebrain responsible for?
thinking, speech, learning ability, sensory input, memory, emotions, hunger, sleepy, fulness
list the parts of the hindbrain
medulla oblongata
pons
cerebellum
what is the medulla oblongata responsible for?
life-giving involuntary (heart beat, digestion), reflexes (sneezing coughing)
what is the cerebellum responsible for?
balance, motor memory (riding bike)
what is an example of a function of the midbrain?
dilation of pupils
what does procedural memory rely more on?
basal ganglia and cerebellum
what is retrieval practice?
pulling what you learn out of your long-term memory so you can think through it again
how does retrieval practice work?
needs to occur at least 24 hours AFTER you’ve studied the material and needs to be done without reviewing it.
what is the aim of retrieval practice?
to identify what you’ve stored in long-term memory and figure out where the gaps in your knowledge exist
how do you get more out of retrieval ?
if you explain the material in your own words rather than trying to reiterate word-for-word what you were taught or studied
what is the best way to use retrieval practice?
self-quizzing
what three things do you do to get the most out of self quizzing?
- break the material into chunks, no more than a couple of paragraphs
- read through the first chunk carefully but pretend you’re the teacher who’s creating questions for an exam
- The next night, Pick one of the Questions pages at random and do your best to answer all of the questions on that page Force yourself to say each answer out loud or better yet write it down. this is to identify a gap in your knowledge. Now’s the time to fill it – review your notes or text to figure out where you went wrong.
what is the best way to use the questions and answers methods?
study buddy
- Asking your study buddy your questions and having them ask you theirs will increase the likelihood that you’ll identify all of the key points made in the material and that you consider them from different points of view.
