Cognitive Neuroscience Lecture 25: Memory Systems & The Role of Context

What are the three types of memory outside of long-term memory?

Sensory memory, Short-term memory, and Working memory.

What are the two main types of long-term memory?

Declarative (explicit) memory and Nondeclarative (implicit) memory.

What type of long-term memory involves conscious recall?

Declarative (explicit) memory.

What are the two branches of declarative memory?

Episodic memory and Semantic memory.

What does episodic memory store?

Personal experiences or events.

What does semantic memory store?

General facts and knowledge.

What are the three main components of nondeclarative memory?

Procedural memory (skills), Classical conditioning, and Priming.

What is procedural memory?

Memory for motor skills and actions, like riding a bike.

What does classical conditioning involve?

Learning associations between stimuli

What is priming in memory?

When exposure to one stimulus influences response to another stimulus.

What is perceptual priming?

perceptual priming (Improved identification or processing of a stimulus based on prior exposure to its form or structure)

Who was H.M.?

Henry Molaison, a patient who became famous for his profound memory loss after brain surgery.

What brain structure is most associated with H.M.'s memory deficits?

The hippocampus.

Q: Which types of memory were most affected in H.M.?

Declarative (explicit) memory

Which types of memory remained intact in H.M.?

Nondeclarative (implicit) memory

What important role does the hippocampus play, based on H.M.'s case?

It is critical for the formation of new long-term declarative memories.

What type of memory is most affected in amnesia?

Declarative (explicit) memory.

What is retrograde amnesia?

The inability to remember events that occurred before a brain injury

Are all past memories lost in retrograde amnesia?

No, remote (older) memories are often spared.

What is anterograde amnesia?

The inability to form new memories of events that occur after a brain injury.

Which type of amnesia did H.M. experience most severely?

Anterograde amnesia.

What kind of memory is most affected by damage to the hippocampus and medial temporal lobes (MTL)?

Declarative (explicit) memory.

Is nondeclarative memory affected by hippocampal or MTL damage?

No, nondeclarative (implicit) memory is typically spared.

What brain region is critical for declarative memory formation?

The hippocampus and medial temporal lobe (MTL).

Which brain regions are affected in Parkinson's disease?

Subcortical areas including the basal ganglia and striatum.

What functions are the basal ganglia and striatum involved in?

Movement, reward, skill learning, and cognitive control, through interaction with the frontal lobes.

How do the basal ganglia influence frontal lobe activity?

Through excitatory and inhibitory signaling.

What type of motor symptoms are associated with Parkinson's disease?

Hypokinetic symptoms (reduced movement), generally due to lack of activation.

What type of memory is impaired in amnesiac patients?

Declarative (explicit) memory is impaired.

What type of memory is spared in amnesiac patients?

Nondeclarative (implicit) memory is intact.

What type of memory is impaired in Parkinson's patients?

Nondeclarative (implicit) memory, especially skill learning, is impaired.

What type of memory is spared in Parkinson's patients?

Declarative (explicit) memory is intact.

Which brain regions are critical for declarative memory?

The hippocampus and medial temporal lobe (MTL).

Which brain regions are critical for non-declarative memory?

Subcortical regions

What type of memory is the hippocampus most strongly linked to?

Episodic memory (a subtype of declarative memory).

What type of memory is the hippocampus most strongly linked to?

Episodic memory (a subtype of declarative memory).

What type of learning is the basal ganglia most strongly linked to?

Skill learning

What is a recognition memory test?

A test where participants must decide whether a stimulus was previously encountered

What is a cued recall test?

A memory test that provides a partial prompt or cue to help retrieve the target information.

What is a free recall test?

A test requiring participants to retrieve relevant information without any specific cues or prompts.

What is one cognitive process that aids episodic memory retrieval?

Context reinstatement

What is Context reinstatement?

recalling or re-experiencing the original learning context.

What is the encoding specificity hypothesis?

Memory is more easily retrieved when the context at retrieval is similar to the context at encoding

Which type of memory is most affected by context reinstatement?

Episodic memory, since it involves recalling events within their original context.

What does this graph suggest about memory retrieval difficulty?

Free recall is the hardest, cued recall is easier, and recognition is the easiest form of memory retrieval.

Which type of memory test generally results in the lowest proportion of correct responses?

Free recall — it provides no cues and requires generating information from memory unaided.

Which type of memory test generally results in moderate performance?

Cued recall — it provides partial prompts to aid retrieval.

Which type of memory test generally results in the highest performance?

Recognition — it involves identifying previously seen items and provides strong retrieval cues.

Why is recognition typically easier than recall?

Because it provides more external cues, reducing the need to generate information independently.

What is the general trend across free recall, cued recall, and recognition tests?

Memory performance increases as more retrieval cues are provided.