Comparative Cognition: Memory Mechanisms Flashcards
1
Q
Does information retained in memory deal with events that occurred in the past?
A
yes
for example, football players (North American Football) must remember plays learned
in practice associated with numbers
* This is retrospective encoding
2
Q
cognitive ethology
A
- nonhuman animals are capable of consciousness and intentionality
- based on complexity, flexibility, cleverness
3
Q
comparative cognition
A
- used by contemporary experimental psychologists
- ties cognitive mechanisms to theoretical constructs and models used to explain aspects of B
- used for things that connot be explained by SR
- uses simple + possible explanations
4
Q
anthropomorphism
A
- inferences about rich mental life of animals
- projecting our human thoughts, emotions, intentions onto animal
5
Q
memory
A
- ability to respond on basis of earlier acquired information
- similar to learning: both require acquisition, retention and retrieval
- learning studies focus on exposure to stimuli (acquisition), manipulation of acquisition and retention + retrieval intervals are kept constant
- memory studies focus on retention and retrieval
- existence of memory in animals: current B is based on some aspects of earlier experiences
6
Q
stages of info processing
A
REFER TO DIAGRAM IN NOTEBOOK PAGE 46
7
Q
procedural memory
A
- part of implicit memory
- memory of how to perform relatively complex tasks that allow us to perform them
- done without conscious control
8
Q
working memory
A
- retention of recently acquired info (just long enough to complete tasks)
- discarded after completion of task to prevent it from interfering with the next task
- most useful when more enduring, longterm knowledge already exists
- e.g. chef keeps track of spices when creating a new recipe; when he does it again, the spice list is in his LTM
9
Q
reference memory
A
- LTM retention of info = necessary for successful use of incoming and recently acquired info
- knowledge that remains relatively constant over time for particular situations
10
Q
delayed matching to sample
A
- participant presented with sample stimulus that designates which response will be correct at end of trial
- stimulus = removed for retention period
- participant given memory test: “which is the original sample?”
- choice of sample stimulus is correct response = reinforced
11
Q
delayed matching to sample: phases
A
- test stimuli appeared immediately after - remained available until choice was made
- once subject has learned to select correct option 80% of time delay is introduced
12
Q
delayed matching to sample: schizophrenia patients vs neurotypical patients
A
phase 1.
controls + schizophrenics performed equally
phase 2.
schizophrenics showed performance deficit
13
Q
determinants of delayed matching
A
- nature of stimulus
- duration of exposure
- delay interval
note:
- if sample is presented longer, more likely to perform better
- more likely to make mistakes with longer delay
- training with longer retention interval improves memory performance
- sample and choice test performance depends on similarity between training and test conditions
14
Q
general vs specific rule of learning
A
specific:
- participants learn series of speifci rules or SR relations
- difficult to adapt when tested with novel stimuli
general:
- can be used to solve any matching to sample problem
- learning not restricted to a series
- more latitude to transfer learning to novel stimuli
15
Q
spatial memory in water mazes
A
- refer to slides 16-17
- goal of study: wanted to see if next time, how fast the rats would find the platform
- will they look for contextual cues?
- effects of delays
16
Q
cellular messagin
A
IMPORTANT REFER TO NOTEBOOK PAGES 13-14
- CREB - cAMP response element binding protein
- transcription factor (process of making mRNA)
- CREB binds to cAMP response element
- functions as transcriptional activator only after it is phosphorylated by PA or MAPK
- critical for making changes/adding new proteins (protein synthesis)
- for LTP, refer to slide 20 on powerpoint
17
Q
memory process + LTP
A
IMPORTANT REFER TO SLIDE 21
18
Q
genes and learning
A
- to be established, long term memories (longer lasting LTP adn LTD) require activation of genes to create new protein products
- lasting alteration in a synapse depends on gene expression
19
Q
transgenic mouse
A
- mouse engineered to examine hippocampal LTP and learning
- extra gene added = e.g. flawed CaMKII mutated gene
- a tTA that governs this gene’s production = under control of tetO
- flawed CaMKII:
1. will not elicit added AMPA receptors to be added to the neuron membrane
2. would impair LTP and disrupt learning
3. if mouse food has DOX, tTa = inactivated
SLIDE 23 = IMPORTANT
20
Q
LTM and mRNA
A
- explicit, declariitve memories for people, objects, events and facts = mediated by hippocampal memory system
- implicit memory (involving unconscious or skills + habits) = mediated by amygdala, cerebellum and striatum
- LTP, recall, strengthens synaptic connections of involved neurons (“cells that fire together, wire together”)
- LTP requires synthesis of new proteins, as new connections = grown
21
Q
LTM and mRNA: short term memory
A
- involved in modification of preexisting proteins
- changes in strength of preexisting synaptic connections
22
Q
acquisition and stimulus coding
A
- memory depends on us having experienced event and having made some kind of record of that experience
- stimulus coding:
1. critical phase of memory acquisition
2. experiences are coded in nervous system for purposes of retention + retrieval - for spatial memory, animals use:
1. cognitive map
2. landmarks (when they have fixed relation to the goal)
3. beacon = cue to locate the goal
4. geometrics cues (provided by shape of arena)
23
Q
retrospective coding
A
retrieving what you learned to use currently; restrospection
24
Q
prospective coding
A
imagining future so as to remember what to do in real time
25
mental time travel
mentally moving forward/backward in time
26
rehearsal
- keeping info in active state, readily available for use
- typically involves repeating and rehearsing info
27
directed forgetting (refer to slide 27)
- accuracy of recall can be modifed by cues that indicate if something should(n't) be remembered
- memory = active process that can be brought under stimulus control
- memory performance improves if cue during retention interval signals that the correct response will be reinforced with large reward (rather than small one)
- Fcue (forgetting cue) signaled there would be no test - no rewatd
- anticipation of reward helps retain recent event in memory
- increase in PFC neuron activation during delay interval on Rcues but decrease activation on Fcues
28
retrieval
- recovered stored info used to guide B
- coding (acquisition) + rehearsed focus on working memory paadigms
- retrieval focuses on reference memory (long term retention of info for application to new info) + learned association
- retrieval failure us usually cause of loss of information
-
29
retrieval: importance of context
memory = most succesful if contextual cues at retrieval are same as contextual cues present during original learning
30
retrieval: retrieval cues
triggers/reminders for retrieval processes
31
retrieval: memory priming
retrieval cue presenyed at end of long retention interval; can help memory
32
priming can...
1. faciliate retrieval
2. serve as contextual cue
3. improve memory
33
forgetting
- memory fails; we don't respond in accordance with past experience/learning
- can have unpleasant consequences
- can be adaptive (PTSD coping mechanism)
- time is not the cause of forgetting
- poor memory performance reflects failure to retrieve info; failure to ACCESS
- memory failure: preferable term referring to instances of poor performance on memory tests
34
proactive interference
interfering info acts forward t disrupt memory of future target event
35
retroactive interference
interfering stimulus acts backward to disrupt memory of preceding target event
36
consolidation window and amnesia
- when stimulus first encountered, enters short term, temporary memory store
- while in short term memory, info = vulnerable - can be lost- because of interfering stimuli/neuropsych disturbances
- if proper conditions = met, info gradually becomes consolidated into relatively permanent long term memory
- REFER TO SLIDE 33
37
retrograde amnesia: consolidation failure
- if memory disrupted, never properly recovered in long term memory
- can never be retrieved during subsequent memory tests
- amnesia = attributed to disruption in acquisition of memory
38
retrograde amnesia: retrieval failure hypothesis
- amensic agent alters coding of new memories
- makes them more difficult to recover
- amnesia = problem with retrieval phase, not acquisition
39
consolidation
- amnesic agents and physiological manipulations = effective in disrupting memories only during limited period after that memory has been activated
- after consolidation window, memory becomes immune to disruption and modification
- traditional view: in STM to LTM process of consolidation, we can access LTM while in STM, but cannot modify them (like a PDF file)
40
reconsolidation: contemporary view
- distinguishes between active and inactive form of memory
- if memory previously learned (+ consolidated), is reactivated, it returns to state where it can be modified and reconsolidated
- refer to page 50 in notebook
41
types of consolidation
synaptic consolidation
- changes in synaptic efficacy that underlie learning
- may occur in minutes and involves molecular level changes
systems consolidation
- involves memory representation in hippocampal and cortical circuits
- neural systems level
- consolidation = much slower for neural systems
