Skill Memory (Exam 2) Flashcards
Skill
ability that can improve over time through practice
perceptual motor skills
learned movement patterns guided by sensory inputs
[Operant Conditioning]
Skill memory features
- are difficult to convey except by direct demonstration
- may be acquired without awareness
- require several repetitions —–> practice makes perfect
Cognitive skill
skills that require problem-solving or the application of a strategy
[dependent on developed intellectual skills]
Closed skill
involves performing predefined movements that, ideally, never vary
open skill
where movements are made based on predictions and changing demands of the environment
Encoding new memories
Repetition, Rehearsal, and practice are super important
Knowledge of results (Feedback)
Feedback about the performance of a skill critical to the effectiveness of practice
Power Law of Practice
a law stating that the degree to which each new practice session improves performance diminishes after a certain point, such that greater numbers of sessions are needed to further improve the skills; learning occurs quickly at first and then slows down
[observational learning can help improve performance at platuae]
General Rules of Encoding New Memories
1.) The more times you perform a skill, the faster /better you’ll be able to perform it in the future.
2.) The extent to which practice can improve performance decreases as the amount of practice increases
Massed practice
concentrated continuous practice of a skill
Spaced practice
practice of a skill that is spread out over several session
Constant practice
practice involving a constrained set of materials and skills
[dribbling a basketball while standing in one spot]
Variable practice
practice that involves the performance of skills in a wide variety of contexts
[dribbling a basketball while running]
Implicit memory
learning that occurs without the learner’s awareness of performance improvements or, in the case of individuals with amnesia, awareness that practice had occurred.
Motor program
a sequence of movements that an organism can perform automatically (with minimal attention) to motor program (habits)
Pitts three stages to skill learning
- Cognitive stage
- Associative stage
- Autonomous stage
Transfer of training
the transfer of skill memories to novel situations
Transfer specificity
the restricted applicability of learned skills to specific situations
Identical elements
Thorndike’s proposal is that learned abilities transfer to novel situations to the extent that depends on the number of elements in the new situation that are identical to those in which the skills were encoded.
Learning set information
acquisition of the ability to learn novel tasks rapidly based on frequent experiences with similar tasks.
When memory fails…what you don’t use, you’ll likely lose
Skill decay
loss of skill due to non-use
Skill memory in the brain
Basal ganglia
cerebellum
cerebral cortex
Ganglia
cluster of neurons
Basal ganglia
cluster of neurons at the BASE of the forebrain (most forward part of the brain closest to the hippocampus)
Learning deficits after brain lesions
- Hippocampal damage = impaired memory
- Basal ganglia damage = no impairment in memory doesn’t impact memories of past events, nor does it impact their necessary skills for foraging (rats)
Musical dystonia
disorder in which extensive practice playing an instrument can lead to reduction or loss of motor control in the limbs or digits used to play rapid sequences.
Cerebellum
- Coordinates movements
- controls posture, balance, & fine motor movement
- involved in motor learning
[important for aiming and tracking]
working memory
active and temporary representation of information that is maintained for the short term, available for manipulation
cognitive control
manipulation and application of working memory for planning, task switching, attention, stimulus section, and inhibiting inappropriate behavior.
[AKA executive control or executive functioning]
Short-term memory
a temporary memory that is maintained through active rehearsal (memorizing grocery store list)
Long-term memory
permanent or near-permanent storage of memory that lasts beyond a period of conscious awareness (episodic and semantic and skilled memories)
Transient memories
nonpermanent memory that lasts seconds or minutes and includes sensory and short-term memories
Sensory memories
brief, transient sensations of what had just been perceived when someone sees, hears, or tastes something
Visual sensory memory
the initial temporary storage for information perceived by the visual system
Visuospatial sketchpad
hold visual and spatial images for manipulation
Phonological Loop
Holds auditory memories, maintaining them utilizing internal (subvocal) speech rehearsal (much like a “loop” of a tape recording that goes around and around)
Central Executive
monitors and manipulates both the visuospatial and phonological working memory buffers, providing cognitive control of working memory
Word length effect
the tendency for a person to remember fewer words from a list as the length of words increase
Prefrontal cortex
the frontmost anterior part of the frontal-lobe cortex essential for working memory and executive control
Dysexecutive syndrome
a disrupted ability to think or plan
Perseveration
failure to learn new responses, especially as demonstrated by continued adherence to an old response rule that is no longer valid
