6.2 Cognitive Neuroscience Flashcards
(44 cards)
What are the names given to the types of memory that are rooted in each of the senses?
Vision: iconic
Auditory: Echoic
Olfactory: Olfactory
Touch: Haptic (PS5; extra memory)
Gustatory: Gustatory
Describe the relationships between sensory memory, working memory, and short and long term memory
- Information must pass through “sensory buffers” and enter sensory memory
- It can then be encoded into short term memory
- This can then be consolidated into long term memory
- This LTM can then be retrieved into working memory
Short term memory has a ____ capacity, and ____ duration
Large capacity, very short duration
What is the duration of iconic, auditory, and haptic short term memory?
Iconic: 0.5sec
Echoic: 3-4sec
Haptic: <1sec
What is the relationship between working memory and short term memory
Working memory is a type of short term memory
What is the duration/capacity of working memory (be specific)
Duration 20-30sec
Capacity: 7 +/- 2
Which part of the brain, broadly, is working memory reliant on?
The prefrontal cortex
Which brain areas seem particularly important for getting information into long term memory?
- Parahippocampal cortex
- Prefrontal cortex
Declarative vs non-declarative memory?
Declarative: can consciously recall
Non-declarative: cannot consciously recall
What are the two kinds of declarative memory?
- Semantic: fact and general knowledge
- Episodic: personal experiences and events
What are the three kinds of non declarative memory?
- Procedural: motor skills and habits
- Classically conditioned: phobias/attitudes
- Priming: Earlier exposure facilitates retrieval again
What are neural ensembles, and what is their role in memory?
- It’s a population of neurons involved in a particular computation
- Can encode engrams, which enable memory formation
Describe the formation and storage of memory engrams
- Encoded in the hippocampus
- Stored in cortex for later use
What is engram consolidation?
Strengthening of neuronal connections between neurons that encode an engram
True or false: memory retrieval cues are purely external
- False
- Can be externally or internally generated
- This is why we spontaneously remember painful memories
What IS learning at a neuronal level?
Repeated retrieval and reconsolidation of memory.
True or false: environmental cues can play a role in memory
True. This could be music, smells etc.
How are memories changed when we recall them?
- When we recall an engram, it is temporarily destabilised
- This gives us an opportunity to rewire the engram in the context of new information
What are 3 possible causes of forgetting (at a neuronal level)?
- Encoding failure (engram is not encoded properly/strongly enough)
- Retrieval failure (no retrieval cue, or blockage in neuronal pathway necessary for retrieval)
- Interference theory (memories interfere with one another)
What are the two types of memory “strength”?
- Storage strength
- Retrieval strength
Within 24 hours, how much information is lost along the forgetting curve?
2/3 is lost
How can we improve long term retention of information?
- Link new information to personal experiences or existing knowledge
- Link to multiple sensory modalities (e.g. visual) to increase number of retrieval cues
- Interleaving (Claudia Stellner)
Why shouldn’t we review new information straight away when studying
- We aren’t far enough along the forgetting curve yet
- The struggle up the forgetting curve is what forms the memories
Why might spaced repetition be more important than massed trials?
- Each unit of study is more likely to require reactivation of memory trace
- Optimal reconsolidation of engrams
- Also, likely to be more contexts
- Also, Gives time for protein synthesis necessary for memory (like rest periods at the gym)
