CH. 9 Long term memory

PSYC 305 Brain and Behavior

Hippocampus

region of brain associated with memory

located in the medial region of the temporal lobe

Consolidation

process of storing info or events in the brain; forming long-term memories

Two main types of long term memories

explicit and implicit

episodic memory

multi-sensory personal experiences of events

semantic memory

info or facts that have been learned

explicit

episodic and semantic memory

implicit

skill learning and classic conditioning

skill learning

movements learned such as riding a bike or dance choreography

classical conditioning

learned association between two things, such as the dentist and pain

Henry Molaison case study

Had his hippocampus removed in both hemispheres of the brain due to seizures

Became unable to form new episodic memories

Working memory was normal

Skill learning was normal

Each time we ____ a memory, it becomes vulnerable to interference or influence

retrieve

____ info can be associated with a memory and stored away (re-consolidation)

new

False memories

develop after repeated interference with a memory

this can be especially complicated during situations of eyewitness testimony

amnesia

inability to remember information or details about an experience

retrograde amnesia

occurs when memories from before hippocampus damage occurred are forgotten; very long-term memories often remain intact

anterograde amnesia

occurs when new memories cannot be formed following damage to the hippocampus

____ term memories show ____ connections with the neurons in the cortex

longer, stronger

standard model of memory consolidation

suggests that hippocampal neurons aren’t needed to preserve old memories

cortical neurons representing the event grow connections to one another, the hippocampus is no longer involved in memory recall

multiple trace model

suggests that old memories have more links to hippocampal neurons

cortical neurons form connections with more hippocampal neurons

3 major regions of the hippocampus

the dentate gyrus, area CA3, area CA1

entrohinal cortex

doorway for the hippocampus

distributed network model

memories do not activate a single neuron, they activate a pattern of neurons

localist network model

single neurons are assigned to specific memories with no overlap; grandmother cell

place cells

neurons in the hippocampus that activate while in specific locations

place fields

regions of an environment that a specific neuron responds to

inferotemporal cortex

respond to faces and sounds/names of specific people