Learning and Memory (Psych 2113 Exam 4)

Nonassociative Learning

Learning to adjust responses to a repeated stimulus

Associative Learning

Learning the relationship between two stimuli or events

Habituation (Nonassociative Learning)

When our behavioral response to a stimulus decreases

Sensitization (Nonassociative Learning)

When our behavioral response to a stimulus increases

Classical Conditioning (Associative Learning)

When we learn a stimulus leads to another stimulus

Operant Conditioning (Associative Learning)

When we learn that a behavior leads to a consequence

Acquisition

Pairing a conditioned stimulus with an unconditioned stimulus until a new conditioned response is born from the conditioned stimulus alone

Extinction

The gradual weakening and disappearance of a conditioned behavior due to lack of reinforcement

Spontaneous Recovery

The reappearance of a previously extinguished conditioned response (CR) after a rest period, following the removal of a learned behavior

Positive Reinforcement

Add pleasant stimulus to increase/maintain behavior

Negative Reinforcement

Remove harmful stimulus to increase/maintain behavior

Positive Punishment

Add harmful stimulus to decrease behavior

Negative Punishment

Remove pleasant stimulus to decrease behavior

Sensory Memory

The earliest stage of memory, acting as a buffer for stimuli received through the five senses

Short-Term Memory

The psychological capacity to temporarily hold and process a limited amount of information, typically lasting only 15–30 seconds (Can hold up to 7 +/- 2 items at a time)

Working Memory

A cognitive system that temporarily holds, manages, and manipulates limited information necessary for complex tasks like learning, reasoning, and comprehension

Long-Term Memory

The final stage of the multi-store memory model, providing a nearly permanent, high-capacity repository for information, experiences, and skills

Declarative Memory

The collection of memories relating to facts and events

Nondeclarative Memory

The collection of memories relating to skills and tasks

Episodic Memory (Declarative Memory)

Memories of personal events and experiences

Semantic Memory (Declarative Memory)

Memories of facts and concepts

Spatial Memory

Memories of locations and how to get there

Consolidation

The process of turning fragile short-term memories into stable long-term memories

Perforant Pathway

The primary excitatory nerve bundle connecting the entorhinal cortex to the hippocampal formation

Hebb’s Rule

When two neurons fire simultaneously, the connection (synapse) between them is strengthened ("Neurons that fire together, wire together")

Anterograde Amnesia

Inability to make memories after an injury

Retrograde Amnesia

Inability to remember memories before an injury

Brain Plasticity

The brain's lifelong ability to reorganize its structure, functions, or connections in response to intrinsic or extrinsic stimuli, learning, experience, or injury

How long-term potentiation (LTP) occurs

Persistent strengthening of synapses based on recent patterns of activity, functioning as the cellular mechanism for learning and memory

NMDA Involvement in LTP

Receptors in Long-Term Potentiation (LTP) act as coincidence detectors that initiate strengthening of synaptic connections, crucial for learning and memory

AMPA Involvement in LTP

The primary mediators of increased synaptic strength, serving as the molecular basis for learning and memory

Ions Involved in LTP

Calcium (The Trigger), Magnesium (The Gatekeeper), Sodium (The Activator) and Potassium (The Repolarizer)