Learning And Memory Flashcards
(25 cards)
What is learning?
Behavioural experience associated with change
What is memory?
Encoding of learning experience
2 types of learning:
- Associative learning
- Non-associate Learning
Associate learning:
- based on associations between different phenomena
- Pavlov classical conditioning - dog experiments
- operant conditioning»_space; responce followed by reinforcement or punishment
Non- associate learning
- not based on association
- habituation»_space; repeated exposure to stimulus that offers no threat/ benefit
Where does learning occur?
Lateral Interpostius Nucleus (LIP) in cerebellum = area for learning
Red nucleus = preformance of learnt behaviour
PAVLOV- classical conditioning rusted in streghthed connection between 2 areas
LASHLEY- made multiple deep cuts in brain, learning not impaired, only impaired by large lesions in multiple areas»_space;> all parts of cote contribute equally to complex behaviours
Later experiments: red nucleus= crucial for preformance of conditioned response, bit NOT learning
Types of memory:
- Short-term memory»_space; limited capacity, least faer few seconds
- Long-term memory»_space; unlimited capacity, hints help reconstruct it
What is working memory for?
Stores info that is still in use
Stores info that’s still relevant
Stores info crucial for complex cognitive activities
How to test what areas are used for working memory?
Delayed responce task
- testing ppl’s responces to stimuli they saw/ heard short while before
- record brain activity during delay
Info stored in: prefrontal cortex
What changes at cellular level during learning?
Habituation:
- decrease in repsonce to stimulus that’s presented repeatedly
Sensitisation:
- increased responce to unpleasant stimulus after shock
- highly sensitive to sudden noises
- chnages in synaptic activity produces behavioural placticty (allows to respond to environment appropriately)
Cellular level
- stimultaneuous activity in pre-synaptic + post synaptic neurons increase effectiveness of each action potential
- so, if axon stimulates cell that’s recently been stimulates, responce = increased
Long-term potential (LIP)
Axons bombard dendrites with rapid series of stimuli
Leaves synapse more responsive for period of time
Lon-term depression
When axons are active at low frequency, responce reduces
Hippocampus and Amnesia
Case study: sever epilepsy, removal of hippocampus reduces seizures, but every memory loss
What is Anterograde Amnesia ?
Loss of memory for events that happened AFTER brain damage
What is Retrograde amnesia ?
Loss of memory for events that happened a few years BEFORE brain damage
What is the hippocampus important for?
New memories
Declarative, explicit memories
Hippocampus- specialised for decelerate memory
- crucial for dcelarite, episodic memory + remembering specific/ personal events
- if you damage hippocampus in animals + test their abilities = preformance impaired
Hippocampus - specialised for spatial memory
- hipp= crucial for remembering places + locations
- London taxi drives have larger hipp than non-taxi drivers
- those driving for longer had even larger hippocampus
- experience leads to growth
Hippocampus - specialised for configural learning
- hipp records configural info quickly and cortex detects repeated patterns
- hipp ‘binds’ info in order (smell or smoke with sound of fire cracking)
- cortex establishes this memeory as important- later connected it with memory of fire
Korsakoff’s Syndrome
Brain damage, leading to amnesia.
Mainly in alcoholics- drink lots and don’t eat enough, brain starved of vitamins.
Vitamin B1 deficiency.
Causes shrinkage of neurons in brain.
Pathway to cortex damaged= executive functions effected
Loose executive control over memories- try fill in gaps with confabulations.
What are confabulations?
Due to memory loss, make guess to fill their memeory loss. Over time begin to believe these ‘guesses’ as true memories.
Alzheimer’s Disease
Accumulation of amyloid—> causes washing away of cerebral cortex, hippocampus + others.
Starts with minor forgetfulness > progresses to severe memory loss.
Can configure new skills, but don’t remember learning them.
Better implicit than explicit memeory, but both impaired.
What causes Alzheimer’s?
- Genetic — ppl with Down’s syndrome almost always get it in Middle Age
- Environment— bad diet?
