THE NEURAL BASIS OF LEARNING / BRAIN STRUCTURES

Question 1

RECAP: LTM

Answer 1

• Information is transferred from STM to LTM
• Information is best encoded by its meaning
• EXPLICIT (Declarative)
• Memories of personal experiences and facts
• SEMANTIC (Declarative)
• Factual knowledge about the world
• EPISODIC (Declarative)
• Personalized memories of events
• IMPLICIT (Emotional/procedural)
• Unconscious/automatic memories
• Know how-to memories

Question 2

BRAIN STRUCTURE: HIPPOCAMPUS (LOCATED in the medial temporal lobes of the brain)

• ROLE
• DAMAGE

Answer 2

ROLE

• Encodes (consolidates) / forms / creates long-term declarative memories
• The Hippocampus is able to establish the CONTEXT for each new memory
• Declarative memories are transferred to a more permanent memory storage in the CEREBRAL CORTEX

DAMAGE

• INABILITY to FORM new long-term declarative memories
• The brain structure can be disrupted by factors such as STRESS, anxiety, PTSD, depression, etc

Question 3

BRAIN STRUCTURE: AMYGDALA (LOCATED in the medial temporal lobes of the brain)

• ROLE
• DAMAGE

Answer 3

ROLE

• Associated with a person’s MENTAL and EMOTIONAL state
• Processes, FORMS and STORES memories of emotional events

DAMAGE

• INABILITY to form and store implicit emotional memories
• Cause them to feel/ show no FEAR

Question 4

STRUCTURE: CEREBRAL CORTEX

Answer 4

• Stores long-term declarative memories
• LTM are stored in different parts of the CEREBRAL CORTEX

DAMAGE
- INABILITY to retreive memories from the PAST

Question 5

BRAIN STRUCTURE: CEREBELLUM

Answer 5

• Located in the hindbrain
• ROLE: responsible for body coordination and balance as well as voluntary muscle movement. Also, it is responsible for LEARNING and STORING the memory of new motor skills (PROCEDURAL LEARNING)
• FORM and STORES implicit PROCEDURAL memories

Question 6

HIPPOCAMPUS + AMYGDALA

Answer 6

1) Cerebral cortex: stores LT declarative memories
2) Hippocampus: consolidates LT declarative memories (Episodic and Semantic)
3) Hippocampus: transfers the memories to a relevant permanent memory storage in the cerebral cortex
4) Amygdala: Adds emotional content to the MEMORIES