PSY260 - Intro

Question 1

Learning

Answer 1

process - changes in behaviour arise result of past experience interacting with the world
but we can learn things without knowing

Question 2

Conditioning

Answer 2

reactive changes to ambient “conditions”

Question 3

Memory

Answer 3

record of past experiences acquired through learning

essentially makes us who we are

Question 4

Plasticity

Answer 4

property of materials that allows them to acquire + retain new forms/configurations
some learning makes changes in the brain that is irreversible
structural changes in neurons

Question 5

Adaptation

Answer 5

changes in behavior and physiology that alter the probability of survival and reproductive success

Question 6

habituation

Answer 6

can be considered as learning

Question 7

Organization vs. order

Answer 7

organisms are organized: order within an organism
functionality to order
simple organisms might have same structure, but organized
they are organized for a purpose: to maintain itself

Question 8

Reproduction

Answer 8

simpler organisms reproduce

structure allows for replication

Question 9

Sensation and directed motion

Answer 9

to reproduce requires ability to sense environ
environ constantly changing + need to adapt to maintain+ reproduce
motion requires ability to remember, need direction
need long term memory to determine where + what is available out there

Question 10

Memory

Answer 10

gives us ability to go back or somewhere else
allows choices based on experience increasing probability of success
allows organisms to be more efficient
neurons change complexity everytime learning occurs

Question 11

Types of Explicit Memory: Episodic memory + Time

Answer 11

Memory of personal past experiences - information about time + place experiences occurred autobiographical
–What you did on your last birthday?

Question 12

Types of Explicit Memory: Semantic memory

Answer 12

Memory for knowledge about world – things that you know, even though you may not remember where/when you learned it
–capital of France

Question 13

Types of Implicit Memory: Procedural memory

Answer 13

–Motor skills, habits, and other behaviours that we remember how to do without thinking about it
–Clive Wearing: worst case of memory loss, lasts 30 sec

Question 14

Short-term or Working memory

Answer 14

Memory that will remain for only about 20-30 seconds, unless you actively think about/rehearse it
•remembering a phone number or licence plate

Question 15

Working Memory

Answer 15

7 (+/-2) (though some argue for less)

•Chunking: Organizing info into meaningful units to make it easier to remember

Question 16

Long-term memory

Answer 16

relatively permanent storage of information

•Differs from WM in both duration + capacity

Question 17

forgetting

Answer 17

process of overwriting memory
brain doesn’t fill up, more important, stronger connections = more difficult to write over
use %100 of brain, just not at the same time

Question 18

Explicit recall

Answer 18

conscious, intentional recollection of previous experiences + info
-memorization of word lists

Question 19

Implicit recall

Answer 19

previous experiences influence performance of task without conscious awareness
-priming, stem completion

Question 20

Classical Conditioning

Answer 20

neutral stimulus elicit reflexive response because associated with stimulus that already produces response
neutral: no reactions, no reflexive response
•pair it with something that produces response

Question 21

Instrumental/operant learning

Answer 21

action (response) instrumental in getting something

learning process in which consequences of an action determine likelihood that it will be performed in future

Question 22

PLASTICITY

Answer 22

focus on changes in brain
underlying mechanism for memory formation
Molecular/chemical, Functional, Structural changes

Question 23

PERSPECTIVE ON PLASTICITY

Answer 23

Mechanisms by which organisms accommodate new information

plasticity in nervous system happens early on

Question 24

PERSPECTIVE ON PLASTICITY

Answer 24

Self-organizing complexes (with strict rules) that are modified by experience: everything is built upon what happened in the past, present and what we expect in the future

Question 25

Neural Development

Answer 25

early embryo: developing nervous system
nutrition/stress on mother comes into play: affects its development
neurons becoming complex, producing circuits that are foundation of future nervous system

Question 26

Neural Development

Answer 26

brain develops partly by itself, but it also needs signals from periphery to know its developing the right way
correct wiring will require feedback
brain learning where to put neurons + which are most useful