PSYC*2330 Chapter 11: Comparative Cognition I (Memory Mechanisms) Flashcards
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?
Comparative cognition
T or F: Comparative cognition explains cognition as something that can be explained by external observation.
False
What does cognitive ethology advocate?
That animals are capable of conscious thought and intentionality
T or F: Cognitive ethology is not a useful explanation of complex non-human behaviours.
True
Does comparative cognition use simple or complex explanations for observations and data?
Use the simplest possible explanation
What is anthropomorphism?
The interpretation of complex behaviour in non-humans based on the assumption that they have the same level of conscious control as humans
T or F: Cognitive mechanisms must be inferred by behaviour.
True
What is memory?
The ability to respond based on information acquired in the past
Why is it easier to study human memory than animal memory?
Humans can make explicit responses to memory tasks, but memory in animals must be inferred from their behaviour
How do studies of learning and studies of memory differ?
- Studies of learning: Manipulate conditions of acquisition
- Studies of memory: Focus on the conditions of retention and retrieval
What are the five types of human learning and memory?
- Procedural
- Perceptual
- Semantic
- Primary/ working
- Episodic/declarative
What type of memory involves learned behaviour that is performed automatically without conscious control?
Procedural memory
T or F: Procedural memory is explicit.
False. It’s implicit.
Classical conditioning and instrumental conditioning are said to involve/reflect what type of memory?
Procedural memory
What is episodic memory?
Memory for a specific event or episode
What type of memory is involved in the temporary storage and manipulation of information needed to complete the task at hand?
Working memory
What type of memory is involved in the long-term retention of information and is necessary for the successful use of working memory?
Reference memory
What is a delayed matching to sample (DMTS) procedure?
The participant is briefly shown a stimulus, then asked to choose which of the choice alternatives are the same as the initial sample
What two types of memory are required to succeed in a delayed matching to sample (DMTS) task?
- Working
- Reference
What is the retention interval in a delayed matching to sample (DMTS) procedure?
The time between initial exposure to the sample and the presentation of choice alternatives
Schizophrenia involves a deficit in which type of memory?
Working memory
How did participants with schizophrenia perform on DMTS tasks, when retention period increased?
As the delay increased, their performance decreased
What is the most common procedure used to study non-human working memory?
Delayed matching to sample (DMTS)
T or F: The delayed matching to sample procedure can be used to determine how animals remember different types of stimuli.
True
In DMTS procedures, is longer exposure to the sample typically associated with increased or decreased performance?
Increased performance
In DMTS procedures, is a longer retention interval typically associated with increased or decreased performance?
Decreased performance
T or F: Memory fades as a function of time.
False
In DMTS, did longer retention intervals during training result in increased or decreased performance during testing?
Better
In terms of the retention interval, when was the best performance on DMTS testing observed?
When the testing interval matched the training interval
In DMTS, does a signal prior to making the choice, indicating that a large reward for the correct response, improve or impair performance?
Improves performance
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?
Impairs memory
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?
Improves memory
T or F: Memory is an active process that matches the demands of the environment
True
DMTS is thought to train participants to use what rule/concept?
A general “same-as” rule/concept
How does the general “same-as” rule assume participants make a choice in DMTS?
By choosing the choice stimulus that is the same as the sample stimulus
What is an alternative explanation to the general “same-as” rule in DMTS?
S-R learning is occurring (participants are learning multiple rules related to the stimuli)
In a DMTS task, is general “same-as” learning or S-R learning more common with a small stimulus set?
S-R learning
In a DMTS task, is general “same-as” learning or S-R learning more common with a large stimulus set?
General “same-as” learning
What are trials-unique DMTS procedures?
When each trial uses a different sample
Does accurate performance in trials-unique DMTS procedures require general “same-as” learning or S-R learning?
General “same-as” learning
What does the Morris water maze involve?
Involves placing rodents in opaque water and measuring how they learn to find the platform
In the Morris water maze, how do rodents learn to locate the platform?
They use spatial cues in the room
What are the two main measurements taken during a Morris water maze?
- Escape latency
- Distance moved
What does escape latency measure in a Morris water maze procedure?
The amount of time rodents take to find the platform
During the Morris water maze, when is the biggest improvement in performance typically observed?
The first two days
Do Morris water mazes have high or low ecological validity?
Low
Which maze takes advantage of an animal’s evolved strategies for finding food in their environment?
The radial arm maze
What does a radial arm maze typically look like?
There are a certain number of arms originating from the centre, each with a food pellet placed on the end of each arm
In a radial arm maze, once the food at the end of an arm is consumed, is it replaced?
No
How do rodents typically respond in a radial arm maze?
They attempt to eat all the food in the most efficient way possible
In a radial arm maze, with little to no training, do rodents typically re-enter the arms they have previously chosen?
No
In radial arm mazes, how do rats locate maze arms and remember which ones they have already visited?
Using distinctive features in the environment as landmarks
In radial arm maze, is spatial location determined by distal cues in the room or local cues in the maze?
Distal cues in the room
If landmarks in the experimental room are moved, how will the rat treat the arms in a radial arm maze?
As if it were a new location
Rats can perform the radial arm task with accurately with up to how many arms?
16-24
What type of memory is being assessed with a radial arm maze?
Working memory
How can a radial arm maze task be modified to assess the duration of spatial memory?
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.
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?
Short
