Learning and Memory Flashcards
(34 cards)
What is learning?
the process by which we acquire knowledge about the world by the nervous system
What is memory?
the process by which knowledge is encoded, stored and later retrieved
What are the different types of memory?
declarative (explicit) memory
Non-declarative (implicit) memory
What is declarative memory?
-memories that are consciously available and are usually easy to verbalise
Episodic- event based memory
Sematic- Fact-based memory
What is non-declarative memory?
memory involving skills and associations but are not:
-available to the consciousness
-easy to verbalise
-‘knowing how’
What are the temporal categories of memory?
-sensory
-short-term working memory
-long-term memory
What is the normal digit range span of the working memory?
7+-2
What is the range of the short-term working memory?
seconds to minutes
What does the short-term buffer allow for?
manipulation of stored information
What is the capacity of the short-term memory?
limited
What are the qualities of long-term memory?
can store larger quantities for a potentially unlimited duration and it doesn’t have to be actively maintained
-very stabl- once memories are in the long-term they are hard to dispute
What is priming?
the change in the processing of a stimulus due to the influence of previous stimuli
What can improve memory?
-Association
-relevance of information and expertise
What is conditioned learning?
a form of associated learning
What is conditioned learning defined by?
a process whereby a response becomes more frequent or more predictable in a given environment as a result of reinforcement (stimulus or reward)
What are the two types of conditioned learning?
-classical - modifying an existing reflex by associating its normal stimulus with a new unrelated stimulus
-operant - altering the probability of behaviours by association of the behaviour with a reward
What form of learning forms the majority of training regimes for pets?
operant conditioning
What does the destruction of the hippocampus cause?
anterograde amnesia (no longer form episodic memories)
What part of memory is the hippocampus responsible for?
encoding new memories
store and retrieve new memories
What is the hippocampus crucial for?
spatial memories as it contains space cells
What is a space cell?
a type of neuron in the hippocampus that becomes active in a particular place in its environment
What diseases affect memory?
-Dementia
-Alzheimer’s
-Amnesia
When is the hippocampus effected in Alzheimer’s?
Early in the disease process
What is one of the first symptoms reported with Alzheimer’s?
memory loss
