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PSYC*2330 > PSYC*2330 Chapter 11: Comparative Cognition I (Memory Mechanisms) > Flashcards

PSYC*2330 Chapter 11: Comparative Cognition I (Memory Mechanisms) Flashcards

1
Q

What approach to the study of animal behaviour focuses on the mechanisms by which animals acquire, process, store, and act on information from their environment?

A

Comparative cognition

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2
Q

T or F: Comparative cognition explains cognition as something that can be explained by external observation.

A

False

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3
Q

What does cognitive ethology advocate?

A

That animals are capable of conscious thought and intentionality

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4
Q

T or F: Cognitive ethology is not a useful explanation of complex non-human behaviours.

A

True

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5
Q

Does comparative cognition use simple or complex explanations for observations and data?

A

Use the simplest possible explanation

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6
Q

What is anthropomorphism?

A

The interpretation of complex behaviour in non-humans based on the assumption that they have the same level of conscious control as humans

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7
Q

T or F: Cognitive mechanisms must be inferred by behaviour.

A

True

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8
Q

What is memory?

A

The ability to respond based on information acquired in the past

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9
Q

Why is it easier to study human memory than animal memory?

A

Humans can make explicit responses to memory tasks, but memory in animals must be inferred from their behaviour

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10
Q

How do studies of learning and studies of memory differ?

A
  • Studies of learning: Manipulate conditions of acquisition
  • Studies of memory: Focus on the conditions of retention and retrieval
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11
Q

What are the five types of human learning and memory?

A
  • Procedural
  • Perceptual
  • Semantic
  • Primary/ working
  • Episodic/declarative
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12
Q

What type of memory involves learned behaviour that is performed automatically without conscious control?

A

Procedural memory

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13
Q

T or F: Procedural memory is explicit.

A

False. It’s implicit.

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14
Q

Classical conditioning and instrumental conditioning are said to involve/reflect what type of memory?

A

Procedural memory

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15
Q

What is episodic memory?

A

Memory for a specific event or episode

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16
Q

What type of memory is involved in the temporary storage and manipulation of information needed to complete the task at hand?

A

Working memory

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17
Q

What type of memory is involved in the long-term retention of information and is necessary for the successful use of working memory?

A

Reference memory

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18
Q

What is a delayed matching to sample (DMTS) procedure?

A

The participant is briefly shown a stimulus, then asked to choose which of the choice alternatives are the same as the initial sample

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19
Q

What two types of memory are required to succeed in a delayed matching to sample (DMTS) task?

A
  • Working
  • Reference
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20
Q

What is the retention interval in a delayed matching to sample (DMTS) procedure?

A

The time between initial exposure to the sample and the presentation of choice alternatives

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21
Q

Schizophrenia involves a deficit in which type of memory?

A

Working memory

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22
Q

How did participants with schizophrenia perform on DMTS tasks, when retention period increased?

A

As the delay increased, their performance decreased

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23
Q

What is the most common procedure used to study non-human working memory?

A

Delayed matching to sample (DMTS)

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24
Q

T or F: The delayed matching to sample procedure can be used to determine how animals remember different types of stimuli.

A

True

25
Q

In DMTS procedures, is longer exposure to the sample typically associated with increased or decreased performance?

A

Increased performance

26
Q

In DMTS procedures, is a longer retention interval typically associated with increased or decreased performance?

A

Decreased performance

27
Q

T or F: Memory fades as a function of time.

A

False

28
Q

In DMTS, did longer retention intervals during training result in increased or decreased performance during testing?

A

Better

29
Q

In terms of the retention interval, when was the best performance on DMTS testing observed?

A

When the testing interval matched the training interval

30
Q

In DMTS, does a signal prior to making the choice, indicating that a large reward for the correct response, improve or impair performance?

A

Improves performance

31
Q

During the retention interval of DMTS, does switching the reward signal from one indicating a large reward to one indicating a small reward improve or impair memory?

A

Impairs memory

32
Q

During the retention interval of DMTS, does switching the reward signal from one indicating a small reward to one indicating a large reward improve or impair memory?

A

Improves memory

33
Q

T or F: Memory is an active process that matches the demands of the environment

A

True

34
Q

DMTS is thought to train participants to use what rule/concept?

A

A general “same-as” rule/concept

35
Q

How does the general “same-as” rule assume participants make a choice in DMTS?

A

By choosing the choice stimulus that is the same as the sample stimulus

36
Q

What is an alternative explanation to the general “same-as” rule in DMTS?

A

S-R learning is occurring (participants are learning multiple rules related to the stimuli)

37
Q

In a DMTS task, is general “same-as” learning or S-R learning more common with a small stimulus set?

A

S-R learning

38
Q

In a DMTS task, is general “same-as” learning or S-R learning more common with a large stimulus set?

A

General “same-as” learning

39
Q

What are trials-unique DMTS procedures?

A

When each trial uses a different sample

40
Q

Does accurate performance in trials-unique DMTS procedures require general “same-as” learning or S-R learning?

A

General “same-as” learning

41
Q

What does the Morris water maze involve?

A

Involves placing rodents in opaque water and measuring how they learn to find the platform

42
Q

In the Morris water maze, how do rodents learn to locate the platform?

A

They use spatial cues in the room

43
Q

What are the two main measurements taken during a Morris water maze?

A
  • Escape latency
  • Distance moved
44
Q

What does escape latency measure in a Morris water maze procedure?

A

The amount of time rodents take to find the platform

45
Q

During the Morris water maze, when is the biggest improvement in performance typically observed?

A

The first two days

46
Q

Do Morris water mazes have high or low ecological validity?

A

Low

47
Q

Which maze takes advantage of an animal’s evolved strategies for finding food in their environment?

A

The radial arm maze

48
Q

What does a radial arm maze typically look like?

A

There are a certain number of arms originating from the centre, each with a food pellet placed on the end of each arm

49
Q

In a radial arm maze, once the food at the end of an arm is consumed, is it replaced?

A

No

50
Q

How do rodents typically respond in a radial arm maze?

A

They attempt to eat all the food in the most efficient way possible

51
Q

In a radial arm maze, with little to no training, do rodents typically re-enter the arms they have previously chosen?

A

No

52
Q

In radial arm mazes, how do rats locate maze arms and remember which ones they have already visited?

A

Using distinctive features in the environment as landmarks

53
Q

In radial arm maze, is spatial location determined by distal cues in the room or local cues in the maze?

A

Distal cues in the room

54
Q

If landmarks in the experimental room are moved, how will the rat treat the arms in a radial arm maze?

A

As if it were a new location

55
Q

Rats can perform the radial arm task with accurately with up to how many arms?

A

16-24

56
Q

What type of memory is being assessed with a radial arm maze?

A

Working memory

57
Q

How can a radial arm maze task be modified to assess the duration of spatial memory?

A

By allowing rats to collect food from only half of the arms, then removing them for a retention interval before returning them to retrieve the remaining pellets.

58
Q

When using a radial arm maze to test the retention of spatial memory, did rats perform better when the retention interval was long or short?

A

Short

PSYC*2330 (13 decks)

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