Learning and Memory - Key Concepts

A collection of vocabulary flashcards based on the principles of learning and memory, providing key definitions for important concepts.

A relatively permanent change in behavior that occurs as a result of some experience or practice.

Learning

Fundamental laws that explain how behaviors develop, are maintained, unlearned, and why they occur.

Principles of Learning

Actions performed to operate on the environment.

Operant Behavior

Reflexive reactions to stimuli in the environment.

Respondent Behavior

A learning process where two stimuli are paired to elicit a response.

Classical Conditioning

A learning process where behaviors are modified through reinforcement or punishment.

Operant Conditioning

A stimulus that naturally triggers a response without any conditioning.

Unconditioned Stimulus (US)

A natural reaction to an unconditioned stimulus.

Unconditioned Response (UR)

A previously neutral stimulus that, after being associated with an unconditioned stimulus, triggers a conditioned response.

Conditioned Stimulus (CS)

A learned response to a previously neutral conditioned stimulus.

Conditioned Response (CR)

The process by which a conditioned response decreases after repeated presentations of the conditioned stimulus without the unconditioned stimulus.

Extinction (in classical conditioning)

The reappearance of a conditioned response after a period of rest and no exposure to the conditioned stimulus.

Spontaneous Recovery

The tendency to respond to stimuli that are similar to the conditioned stimulus.

Generalization

The learned ability to distinguish between different stimuli.

Discrimination

The reinforcement of successive approximations toward a desired behavior.

Shaping

Any event that strengthens or increases the frequency of a behavior.

Reinforcement

Adding a pleasant stimulus to increase behavior.

Positive Reinforcement

Removing an unpleasant stimulus to increase behavior.

Negative Reinforcement

Adding an unpleasant stimulus to decrease behavior.

Positive Punishment

Removing a pleasant stimulus to decrease behavior.

Negative Punishment

The rules determining how and when reinforcement will be delivered.

Schedule of Reinforcement

Reinforcement occurs after a specific number of responses.

Fixed Ratio Schedule

Reinforcement occurs after an unpredictable number of responses.

Variable Ratio Schedule

Reinforcement is delivered after a specific amount of time.

Fixed Interval Schedule

Reinforcement is given after varying amounts of time.

Variable Interval Schedule

Mental representations of physical locations in our environment.

Cognitive Maps

Memory of facts and events that can be consciously recalled.

Declarative Memory

Type of implicit memory that involves motor skills and behavioral habits.

Procedural Memory

A type of declarative memory that involves recollection of specific events and experiences.

Episodic Memory

A type of declarative memory that involves knowledge of facts and concepts.

Semantic Memory

The process of transforming information into a format that can be stored in memory.

Encoding

The process of maintaining information in memory over time.

Storage

The process of accessing stored memories when needed.

Retrieval

The decline of memory retention over time.

Forgetting Curve

The phenomenon where new or old memories block the retrieval of other memories.

Interference

The experience of being unable to retrieve a word or name from memory, though it is known to be there.

Tip-of-the-Tongue Phenomenon

Highly detailed and vivid memories of emotionally significant events.

Flashbulb Memory

The activation of certain associations in memory, often unconsciously.

Priming

Unconscious retention of information, such as skills or conditioned responses.

Implicit Memory

Conscious recollection of information, such as facts or experiences.

Explicit Memory

A perceptual phenomenon where visual and auditory information produce conflicting perceptions.

The McGurk Effect

The failure to notice a stimulus when attention is focused on another task.

Inattentional Blindness

The failure to notice large changes in a visual scene.

Change Blindness

Systematic patterns of deviation from norm or rationality in judgment.

Cognitive Bias

A cognitive bias whereby individuals with low ability at a task overestimate their ability.

Dunning-Kruger Effect

The tendency to search for, interpret, favor, and recall information that confirms one's preexisting beliefs.

Confirmation Bias

The total amount of mental effort being used in working memory.

Cognitive Load

The study of processes in the brain that underlie learning and memory.

Neuroscience of Learning

An enduring increase in synaptic strength following high-frequency stimulation of a chemical synapse.

Long-Term Potentiation (LTP)

The principle that neurons that fire together wire together.

Hebbian Theory

The physical embodiment of memory in neural structures.

Engram

The process of generating new neurons in the brain.

Neurogenesis

The set of all mental abilities and processes related to knowledge, attention, memory, reasoning, and decision-making.

Cognition

Learning that occurs through observing the behavior of others.

Observational Learning

Theory that suggests we learn social behavior by observing and imitating others.

Social Learning Theory

A defense mechanism that pushes unpleasant thoughts and memories out of consciousness.

Repression

Unintended or accidental learning that occurs without intention.

Incidental Learning

Learning that is not immediately reflected in behavior.

Latent Learning

The basic working unit of the brain, a specialized cell transmitting nerve impulses.

Neuron

A series of interconnected neurons that work together to process information.

Neural Network

The process by which short-term memories are transformed into long-term memories.

Memory Consolidation

Brain circuits that govern the experience of reward and reinforcement.

Reward Circuitry