reversed definitions ch17

recency effect

a "serial position effect" in which there is a tendency to remember the last few items presented in a list particularly well

confabulation

name for the tendency of Korsakoff's patients to fill in the missing gaps in memory with falsifications

perceptual priming

Name for the change in the processing of a stimulus due to prior exposure to stimuli having the same form as the stimulus

Clark's nutcracker

Seed-caching bird that remembers thousands of spatial locations

classical conditioning

name for "Pavlovian" conditioning, in which an initially neutral stimulus comes to predict an event

memory encoding

Process of converting sensory information into memory traces

meadow vole

Polygynous species of rodents in which males have larger hippocampi and better spatial learning than females

medial temporal memory system

Collective name for the hippocampus and surrounding region; plays a role in certain memory processes

US (unconditioned response)

technical name for the stimulus, in classical conditioning, that initially elicits the response to be conditioned (in Pavlov's experiments, meat powder)

intermediate-term memory

Collective name for memories that last longer than short-term memories, but which are nonetheless impermanent

anterograde amnesia

loss of memory for events subsequent to an event or injury

Merriam's kangaroo rat

Species of rodent that hoards food in scattered spatial locations for later retrieval, and that has enlarged hippocampi

attributes of memory

collective name for the dimensions of memory that include space, time, affect, sensory perception and response

procedural memory

an alternative name for nondeclarative memory

prosopagnosia

disorder involving a selective memory loss for the identity of faces as a consequence of cortical damage

trace conditioning

A form of classical conditioning in which there is a delay between the presentation of the conditioned and unconditioned stimuli

eye-blink conditioning

Classical conditioning paradigm in which a tone and puff of air directed at the eye are paired

non-matching-to-sample test

memory test in which the subject must identify which stimulus is novel in order to receive a reward

stimulus-response chain (egocentric cognitive spatial map)

hypothesized mechanism in which rats solve mazes by learning a long series of rules (turn left, turn right)

semantic memory

form of memory that is specialized for "general" knowledge, such as words and facts

short-term memory

memory that lasts a few seconds to a few minutes

place cells

specialized hippocampal neurons that alter their rate of firing when the animal is in or moving toward a particular location

memory consolidation

process of converting memories from short-term to long-term storage

long-term memory

name for memory that lasts months or years

iconic memory

name for visual memory that lasts only for a few instants

banner-tail kangaroo rat

Species of rodent that hoards food in its burrow and does not have enlarged hippocampi

genetic constraints on learning

A view of learning across species that suggests that a species' memory capacities are limited by its genome

rotary pursuit task

Task in which the subject must keep a stylus in contact with a revolving disk; assesses nondeclarative ("motor") learning

retrograde amnesia

name for a loss of memory for events that preceded an accident or injury

jackdaw

A member of the crow family of birds that does not hoard food for later retrieval

skill learning

Specific name for the type of learning that involves the acquisition of a new ability through repeated exposure

simple delay conditioning

Form of classical conditioning in which there is no time gap between presentation of the conditioned stimulus and unconditioned stimulus

conditional learning

Form of learning in which the response is only produced when the context is correct

CS (conditioned stimulus)

in classical conditioning, the initially neutral stimulus that is conditioned to produce a response (in Pavlov's experiments, a bell or tone)

cognitive map

hypothesized mechanism by which rats solve mazes by learning a conceptual layout of the maze (i.e., they know which part of the maze contains the reward independently of the number and type of turns required to get there)

brown-headed cowbird

Parasitic bird that lays its eggs in the nests of other species; in this species, females have larger hippocampi than males

memory trace

name for the actual memory (the piece of information) that is laid down during learning

mirror-reversed reading

Test of nondeclarative memory for "rules" associated with verbal functions

declarative memory

collective name for the types of memories that can be consciously summoned up and expressed

direct (explicit) memory tests

Class of memory tests that assess a subject's ability to absorb new pieces of information that can later be consciously recalled

CR (conditioned response)

in classical conditioning, the name for the response that is produced in response to presentation of the conditioned stimulus (in Pavlov's experiments, salivation)

indirect (implicit) memory test

Class of memory tests that assess a subject's ability to retain new skills

mirror-tracing test

Memory task in which an unusual method of drawing is required; used to assess nondeclarative memory

episodic memory

class of declarative memories that are autobiographical in nature and often involve an emotional component (i.e., memory for things that happened to you)

eight-arm radial maze

Apparatus used to assess spatial learning in animals

nondeclarative memory

general collective name for the types of memory that are evident in the performance of tasks but that cannot be consciously called up and expressed

priming

general name for experimental setups in which the processing of a stimulus is altered by previous exposure to that stimulus or stimuli that are similar

primacy effect

a "serial position effect" in which there is a tendency to remember the first few items presented in a list particularly well

UR (unconditioned response)

In classical conditioning, the response that is elicited by the presentation of the unconditioned stimulus (in Pavlov's experiments, salivation)

latent learning

Form of learning that occurs during passive exposure to new material, and that may not be detected by an experimenter unless conditions are designed to reveal this learning

conceptual learning

specific situation in which the processing of a stimulus is altered by previous exposure to stimuli having the same or similar meaning

diencephalic memory system

Collective name for thalamus and surrounding structures, which play a role in certain memory processes (e.g., see case N.A.)

pine vole

Monogamous rodent that does not display sex differences in either spatial learning or hippocampal size

spatial view cells

Specialized hippocampal cells, found especially in primates, that alter their rate of firing when the animal is looking at a particular location

memory retrieval

General name for the process of retrieving information from memory

magpie

A member of the crow family of birds that hoards food for later retrieval and displays a larger hippocampus in adulthood than related species

specific abilities to learn and remember

species are thought to have evolved these in response to specific selection pressures (this perspective contrasts with the notion of genetic constraints on learning and memory)

A not B test

Test devised by Piaget to assess the memory function of infants

propranolol

drug that blocks beta-adrenergic receptors

Korsakoff's syndrome

disorder due to thiamine deficiency in which damage in the diencephalon and other areas causes memory problems

operant conditioning

form of conditioning in which the association of a reward with a behavior alters the probability that the behavior will be produced again in the future ("Skinnerian conditioning")