Learning & memory I

Question 1

Declarative memory=

Answer 1

conscious memory
>includes: facts, events, experiences

Question 2

Non-declarative memory=

Answer 2

unconscious memory
>includes: (learnt) skills, motor, implicit, conditioning, priming, sensory,

Question 3

Two types of long-term memory>

Answer 3

• Declarative
• Non-declarative

Question 4

Two Divisions of declarative memory>

Answer 4

• Episodic (events, experiences)
• Semantic (facts, concepts

Question 5

Sensory memory: features= (3)

Answer 5

• held for <1 second;
• is a short term representation of sensory info based on visual, auditory, somatic sensory info
• stored in electrical activity of neurones in sensory system

Question 6

Short-term memory (working memory): features> (2)

Answer 6

• held for <1 minute
• something held in immediate awareness, to do something with (i.e. sums ‘214+72’ etc)

Question 7

Episodic memory=

Answer 7

events, experiences
>are time stamped, have happened

Question 8

what is priming?>

Answer 8

setting brain up to respond in a certain way to a particular stimulus
(i.e. exposed to something before, then we re-exposed quicker retrieval of info)

Question 9

Pavlov & Classical conditioning> Dog Salivation experiment (4)

Answer 9

• Dog salivation was measured when food placed in dogs mouth (unconditioned response, UCR)
• Preceded delivering of food with the sound of a bell (neutral stimulus)
• After 5/6 pairings, dogs would salivate (conditioned response, CR) in response to bell (now a conditioned stimulus)
• Dog learned association between sound & food

Question 10

Classical conditioning in humans> Air puff reflex

Answer 10

• paired a tone (NS) with an air puff to eye (UCR)
• after continued pairing, tone alone can elicit eye-blink response (now CR) & tone becomes (CS)

Question 11

Classical conditioning in humans> Air puff reflex> neuroscience behind it> (5)

Answer 11

Neuron in auditory system before CC:
- hears tone, no msg> motor neurone due to weak synapse connecting two
After CC:
- pathway becomes much stronger
- when tone played: neurone connects to motor neurone to tell body to blink
- CC has strengthened connection & paired two stimuli together

Question 12

What is the Limbic system involved in>

Answer 12

regulation of motivated behaviours, including memory & emotion

Question 13

emotional learning in amygdala> process (tone-eye puff)

Answer 13

• aversive stimulus (US: eye puff), & tone (CS), paired via (CC)
• causes strengthened synapse in the lateral nucleus
• pathway activated to get Conditioned emotional response of blinking etc

Question 14

where can conditioned emotional responses occur:

Answer 14

• hypothalamus, midbrain, pons & medulla

Question 15

Classical conditioning=

Answer 15

association of 2 stimuli that were not connected before

Question 16

emotional learning in amygdala pathway=

Answer 16

lateral nucleus> basal nucleus> conditioned emotional response

Question 17

operant conditioning=

Answer 17

learning to repeat a behaviour (specific motor action) that produces reinforcement (+ or -) in response to a stimuli; to get a reward (if+ reinforcment)) / avoid punishment (if - reinforcement)

Question 18

Operant conditioning> pathway

Answer 18

• stimulus (e.g. sight of lever)> neural circuit that detects a particular stimulus
• Neural circuit that controls a particular behaviour is activated (loop)> now loop activated> behaviour (e.g. lever press)
• when lever pressed> reward (of food)
• reinforcing stimulus (food)
• activates reinforcement system
• when reinforcement system ACTIVE>strengthens connection of loop

Question 19

Dopamine & reinforcement

Answer 19

• OC depends on behaviour being reinforced
• several areas of brain which, when stimulated electrically, will acts (or like) a reward
• these areas receive DOPAMINGERGIC input from the ventral tegmental area
• system is called mesolimbic dopamine system

Question 20

Intercranaial self-stimulation & rats

Answer 20

• rats undergone brain surgery: electrode straight into dopamine system
• underwent skinner box (press level),but instead:
• pressing level> creates electrical pulse> reward loop> reinforce loop
• by taking away external element of food & going directly to reward system, proved dopamine role in reinforcing loop