PSY260 - Intro Flashcards
Learning
process - changes in behaviour arise result of past experience interacting with the world
but we can learn things without knowing
Conditioning
reactive changes to ambient “conditions”
Memory
record of past experiences acquired through learning
essentially makes us who we are
Plasticity
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
Adaptation
changes in behavior and physiology that alter the probability of survival and reproductive success
habituation
can be considered as learning
Organization vs. order
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
Reproduction
simpler organisms reproduce
structure allows for replication
Sensation and directed motion
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
Memory
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
Types of Explicit Memory: Episodic memory + Time
Memory of personal past experiences - information about time + place experiences occurred autobiographical
–What you did on your last birthday?
Types of Explicit Memory: Semantic memory
Memory for knowledge about world – things that you know, even though you may not remember where/when you learned it
–capital of France
Types of Implicit Memory: Procedural memory
–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
Short-term or Working memory
Memory that will remain for only about 20-30 seconds, unless you actively think about/rehearse it
•remembering a phone number or licence plate
Working Memory
7 (+/-2) (though some argue for less)
•Chunking: Organizing info into meaningful units to make it easier to remember
Long-term memory
relatively permanent storage of information
•Differs from WM in both duration + capacity
forgetting
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
Explicit recall
conscious, intentional recollection of previous experiences + info
-memorization of word lists
Implicit recall
previous experiences influence performance of task without conscious awareness
-priming, stem completion
Classical Conditioning
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
Instrumental/operant learning
action (response) instrumental in getting something
learning process in which consequences of an action determine likelihood that it will be performed in future
PLASTICITY
focus on changes in brain
underlying mechanism for memory formation
Molecular/chemical, Functional, Structural changes
PERSPECTIVE ON PLASTICITY
Mechanisms by which organisms accommodate new information
plasticity in nervous system happens early on
PERSPECTIVE ON PLASTICITY
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
Neural Development
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
Neural Development
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
