Lecture 7: Neuropsychology of memory systems Flashcards
(21 cards)
What are the two memory types?
Long-term/Short-term memory
What is short-term memory?
Memory that is held over a brief period of time. Only a limited amount of information can be held at a time
What is long-term memory?
Memory that stores information indefinitely allowing recall of past events, experiences and knowledge
What are the two types of long-term memory?
Explicit and Implicit
What is the function of the two types of long-term memory?
- Explicit = The conscious recollection of facts and events, also known as declarative memory
- Implicit = The unconscious or unintentional recall of skills, habits and procedures, influencing behaviour without conscious awareness (non-declarative memory)
What is amnesia?
The loss of memories
What are the two types of amnesia?
Retrograde
Anterograde
What does retrograde amnesia mean?
Memories from prior to the amnesia-causing event are lost
What does anterograde amnesia mean?
The ability to form new memories is hindered
What causes amnesia?
Damage to the hippocampus
What are common causes of amnesia?
- Surgery
- Loss of oxygen supply (ataxia)
- Stroke
- Head injury
- Alzheimer’s
How is memory tested?
With:
- Free Recall
- Cued Recall
- Recognition Memory
What is temporal extent?
The duration over which a specific memory occurs or is remembered
What is Ribot’s law?
(With retrograde amnesia) Recent memories are more likely to be lost than old ones, using the logic of temporal gradient
What is temporal gradient?
The closer a memory is to the time of the ‘incident’ the more vulnerable it is
How does temporal gradient effect recovery?
It follows the same rule but with recovery, old memories are more likely to return than new ones
How is anterograde amnesia caused?
Issues with memory consolidation
What is memory consolidation?
Stabilising new memories
What is flat memory loss?
When memory loss doesn’t follow a gradient and all memories are affected equally
What is procedural learning?
Acquiring skills and habits through practise and repetition eventually allowing for the task to be done with no conscious effort
What is relational learning?
To learn about and understand the relationship between things
