Chapter 9: Memory & Learning

PBSI 350

What does the explicit memory system do?

permits the conscious recollection of prior experiences and facts

What does the implicit memory system do?

allows past experiences to influence behavior without us realizing it

What does the declarative memory system do?

supports memory of "known" information that we can use in different situations

What does the procedural memory system do?

supports memory of "how" things should be done and allows us to learn/show skills

What memory system is this an example of: details about your last vacation

explicit memory system

What memory system is this an example of: skills or habits

implicit memory system

What memory system is this an example of: knowledge

declarative memory system

What memory system is this an example of: swimming, playing piano

procedural memory system

What is amnesia?

a loss of memory (including the ability to form new long-term memories) across modalities and materials

Amnesia results from damage to regions of the medial temporal lobe, including what regions?

hippocampus, dentate gyrus, subiculum, amygdala, and parahippocampal area

Information from a variety of different brain regions converges in the ________ to enter the hippocampus.

entorhinal cortex

After information converges in the entorhinal cortex, it then flows unidirectionally and exits either by returning to the entorhinal cortex or projecting to other brain regions via the ________.

fornix

What is retrograde amnesia?

impairment in recalling memories prior to the amnesia

What is anterograde amnesia?

impairment in forming new memories after the amnesia

What is episodic memory?

memories of events/episodes including autobiographical information of our experiences

What is semantic memory?

knowledge of facts and concepts that are not tied to personal experiences

What is working memory?

the ability to hold and process a limited amount of information over the short term

Working memory is ________ in individuals with amnesia.

unaffected

What is verbal working memory?

the ability to temporarily store and manipulate verbal information

What is visuospatial working memory?

the ability to temporarily store and manipulate visual and spatial information

What is Baddeley’s model of working memory?

explains how we temporarily store and maintain/manipulate information

According to Baddeley’s model of working memory, what regions are involved in working memory?

prefrontal cortex (specifically dorsolateral prefrontal cortex)

What are the four different stages of memory?

encoding, storage, consolidation, and retrieval

What brain regions are involved in the encoding stage of memory?

medial temporal lobe and prefrontal regions

In the encoding stage of memory, what information comes from the the retrosplenial cortex and the parahippocampal gyrus?

spatial information

In the encoding state of memory, what kind of information comes from the perirhinal cortex?

object information and their identities

In the encoding stage of memory, what happens to information in the entorhinal cortex?

it converges

What is the subsequent memory effect?

items we remember later trigger more brain activity in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex than items we forget

What does the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex do in memory?

selects information most relevant for encoding

What does the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex do in memory?

supports the structure of multiple pieces of information for later reordering

What is pattern separation?

distinguishing between similar items/scenes (ie., first date or second date at the same restaurant)

What does the hippocampus do in the encoding stage of memory?

ensures that similar and overlapping representations are encoded more distinctly

What does the hippocampus do in the storage and consolidation stages of memory?

supports memory consolidation

What is the consolidation theory of long-term memory?

a temporary memory is transformed into a more stable, long-lasting form

What is the multiple trace theory?

every time a memory is retrieved, the hippocampus creates a new trace and integrates any prior related episodes

How do the consolidation theory of long-term memory and the multiple trace theory differ from one another?

consolidation theory sees memories as stabilizing over time, while multiple trace theory sees them as evolving with each recall

What does the hippocampus do in the retrieval stage of memory?

participates in the retrieval of various long-term memories by allowing for pattern completion

What is pattern completion?

each smaller piece of information can be used to reconstitute the whole

In the retrieval stage of memory, what is recognition?

the use of thought to rely on a sense of familiarity

What brain regions are involved in recognition?

perirhinal cortex and dorsal medial nucleus

In the retrieval stage of memory, what is recall?

remembering something specific about an item

What brain regions are involved in recall?

hippocampus and midline diencephalic structures

What does the prefrontal cortex do in the retrieval stage of memory?

supports strategic and executive aspects of memory retrieval and suppresses unwanted memories

What does the parietal cortex do in the retrieval stage of memory?

contributes through its role in attentional control and integration across modalities

What is the role of the basal ganglia in learning and memory?

extracts regularities between a stimulus and the response or outcome with which it is associated

What does the amygdala do in memory?

allows emotional experience to modulate certain aspects of long-term memory (flashbulb memory)

What does the amygdala do in fear conditioning?

helps the learning and expression of emotional responses to stimuli with learned emotional significance

What happens if you have damages to the amygdala?

precludes a person from exhibiting a conditioned fear response