(*Unfinished) 6B: Making sense of the environment (Part 2) Flashcards
Memory encoding
Allows information to be converted into a construct that is stored in the brain indefinitely
* First step to creating a new memory
What does encoding begin with?
Perception
* The organization, identification and interpretation of sensory information
Stimuli
A term used to describe anything that elicits a response from receptor
Hippocampus
Complex brain structure that has a major role in learning and memory
What is the steps in perception?
- Stimuli are perceived by senses
- Travel to the thalamus, synthesized as an experience
- Hippocampus analyzes and decides whether to commit to long-term memory
Potentiation
The increase in strength of nerve impulses along pathways which have been used previously
What are the 4 primary types of encoding?
- Visual
- Acoustic
- Elaborative
- Semantic
Visual encoding
Proccess of encoding images and visual sensory
* Amygdala plays a large role
Acoustic encoding
Use of auditory stimuli or hearing to implant memories
What is acoustic encoding aided by?
Phonological loop
* Process by which sounds are sub-vocally rehearsed in order to be remembered
Elaborative encoding
Uses information that is already known and relates it to the new information being experienced
Semantic encoding
The use of sensory input that has a specific meaning or can be applied to a context (semantic)
What aids in semantic encoding?
- Chunking (organizing parts of objects into meaningful wholes)
- Mnemonics
State-dependent learning
When a person remembers information based on the state of mind (or mood) they are in when they learn it
What is a large part of state-dependent learning?
Retrieval cues
Memory consolidation
A category of processes that stabilize a memory trace after its initial acquisition
Encoding vs. Consolidation
Encoding requires attention and conscious effort
Consolidation is more an unconscious, biological process
Are memories stored as exact replicas of experiences?
No, they are modified and reconstructed during retrieval and recall
Memory encoding
The process of converting information into a construct that can be stored within the brain
Sensory memory
The brief storage (in memory) of information experienced by the senses; typically only lasts up to a few seconds
Milliseconds to 5 seconds
What are the types of sensory memory?
- Echoic memory (sound)
- Iconic memory (image)
Echoic has 2-3 second storage
Iconic has <1 second storage
Short term memory
Known as working memory
* The system that actively holds multiple pieces of information in the mind for the execution of verbal and nonverbal tasks
* Makes them available for further information processing
What are the kinds of long-term memory?
- Explicit (declarative)
- Implicit
Explicit memory
Long-term memories that are consciously remembered
Implicit memories
Long term memories that are not consciously remembered
* Procedural memories, emotional conditioning etc.
What kind of explicit memories are there?
- Episodic: Includes specific events/episodes
- Semantive: Common knowledge or concepts
Items stored in short-term memory move to long-term memory through…
- Rehearsal
- Processing
- Use
Retrograde memories
Memories that occurred prior to an injury or illness
Multi-trace distributed memory model
Suggests that the memories being encoded are converted to vectors, with each value or “feature” in the vector representing a different attribute of the item to be encoded. Vectors are then added to a matrix.
Vectors are known as “memory traces”
Matrices are known as “memory arrays”
Vector
Computational neuroscience
A list containing several values
Matrix
Computational neuroscience
A list containing several vectors
What are the 2 key limitations to the multi-trace model?
- The notion of an evergrowing matrix within human memory
- Idea of computational searches for specific memories
Neural network model
Assumes neurons form a complex network with other neurons, forming a highly interconnected network
Each neuron is characterized by…
Activation value
* How much energy it takes to activate that neuron
The connection between two neurons is characterized by…
Weight value
* How strong the connection between those neurons is
In the neural network model, what happens in the process of memory storage?
Connections are formed in the process of memory storage
