Learning and Memory Lecture Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering key definitions, concepts, mechanisms, and brain regions related to learning and memory based on the lecture transcript.

Learning

The ability to alter behavior on the basis of experience.

Memory

The ability of an organism to store, retain, and subsequently recall information.

Nonassociative Learning

A type of learning that involves learning about a single stimulus through repeated exposure.

Habituation

A process of nonassociative learning where a repeated stimulus becomes progressively less important, leading to a diminished response.

Sensitization

A process of nonassociative learning where a repeated stimulus becomes progressively more important, increasing the arousal value or relevance of the stimulus.

Associative Learning

A type of learning that involves learning the relationship between two stimuli or a behavior and a consequence.

Classical Conditioning

A form of associative learning studied by Ivan Pavlov that involves placing a neutral signal (conditioned stimulus) before a reflex (unconditioned response) by pairing it with a biologically potent stimulus (unconditioned stimulus).

Extinction

The attenuation of a conditioned reflex when the conditioned stimulus is no longer paired with the unconditioned stimulus.

Reinforcement

The necessary addition of an unconditioned stimulus to a conditional one to maintain a conditioned reflex.

Operant Conditioning

A form of associative learning studied by B.F. Skinner where an animal actively performs an action to obtain a pleasant stimulus (reward) or avoid an unpleasant one (punishment).

Encoding (Registration)

The first stage of memory processing involving receiving, processing, and combining received information.

Storage

The second stage of memory processing that creates a permanent record of encoded information.

Recall

The third stage of memory processing involving calling back stored information in response to a cue for use in an activity.

Sensory Memory Storage

A memory system that holds sensory information briefly ($0.5\,\text{seconds}$ for visual; $2\text{--}4\,\text{seconds}$ for auditory).

Short-term (Working) Memory

A memory system that holds perceptions for analysis for approximately $30\,\text{seconds}$ with a limited capacity of $5\text{--}9$ items, dependent on regions of the frontal and parietal lobes.

Long-term Memory (LTM)

Relatively permanent storage with unlimited capacity, involving stable changes in neural connections spread throughout the brain.

Explicit (Declarative) Memory

Memory involving conscious recall, categorized into Semantic Memory (facts/general knowledge) and Episodic Memory (personal experiences).

Implicit (Nondeclarative) Memory

Memory without conscious recall, including Procedural Memory (motor skills/habits), Priming, and Classically Conditioned Memory.

Long-term Potentiation (LTP)

A long-lasting enhancement in signal transmission between two neurons that increases synaptic strength.

Long-term Depression (LTD)

A decrease in the effectiveness of synaptic contacts due to changes in postsynaptic membrane channels.

Prefrontal Cortex

The brain area primarily responsible for working memory.

Hippocampus

The brain region involved in declarative (episodic and semantic) memory.

Striatum/Basal Ganglia

Brain structures involved in procedural learning relating to habits and routine behaviors.

Amygdala

The brain structure involved in emotional memory and emotional learning.

Cerebellum

The brain structure involved in conditioned timing and accuracy of movements.

Cerebral Cortex

The brain region involved in perceptual memory, semantic memory, and priming.

Learning Pyramid

A model formulated by Edgar Dale (1946) suggesting retention rates vary by delivery method: $10\%$ of what we read, $20\%$ of what we hear, $50\%$ of what we hear and see, and $90\%$ of what we say and do.

Amnesia

The loss of memory.

Anterograde Amnesia

A type of amnesia characterized by profound difficulty in forming new memories after the onset of the condition.

Retrograde Amnesia

A type of amnesia affecting access to memories prior to brain damage, often affecting autobiographical memory more than fact-based memory.