psych exam 3

effects of prefrontal cortex damage

problems with planning, inhibition, impulse control attention regulation flexible thinking

what isdelayed response task

task requiring holding informatino over short delay before responding

what is bottom up attention

attention captured automatically by salient stimuli (ex: loud noise grabs attention)

what is top-down control

goal-directed control of attention/behavior using knowledge and expectations

what is cognitive load

amount of mental effort used in working memory (too much load ->poorer performance)

what is working memory capacity

limited amount of information that can be actively held/manipulated at once (capacity predicts reasoning/academic performance)

what is stroop effect

difficulty naming ink color when word meaning conflicts (read written in blue ink) shows interference and need for inhibition

what is divided attention

trying to attend to multiple things at once usually reduces performance (trap=multitasking often→task switching)

what is selective attention

focusing on relevant information while ignoring distraction

what is switching cost

slower performance/errors when shifting between tasks brain needs time to

what is inhibition

suppressing distractions, impulses, or irrelevant responses (ex not checking phone while studying)

what is updating

replacing old working memory information with new relevant information (ex mental math steps changing)

what is chunking

grouping information into meaningful units to increase memory capacity (ex 3 number phone number separation instead of 10 separate digits)

what is elaborative rehearsal

linking new information to meaning/prior knowledge improves long-term memory (meaning sticks better)

what is maintance rehearsal

repeating information to keep it active in working memory

what episodic buffer

temporary storage that combines information from multiple systems into coherent episodes links working memory with long-term memory

what is visuospatial sketchpad

holds/manipulates visual and spatial information (ex mentally rotating an object)

what is phonological loop

working memory system for verbal/auditory information used for rehearsal (inner voice) (ex repeating phone number)

what is central executive

control system that direct attention coordinates mental resources and manages working memory processes

what is role of prefrontal cortex

main brain area for planning decision making inhibition goal maintence working memory (ceo of brain)

what is cognitive contol/executive function

ability to guide though/behavior toward goals by controlling attention. impulses and actions

what is working memory

temporary system for holding and manipulating information during tasks like reasoning reading, problem-solving and planning (mental workspace)

working memory vs short-term memory

short term memory is temporary storage working memory is storage and active manipulation (working memory =doing something with info)

huntington’s effect on procedural memory

basal ganglia degeneration disrupts motor control and habit learning

what is parkinsons effect on procedural memory

dopamine loss in basal ganglia impairs movement and habit/procedural learning

what did h.m. reveal about procedural memory

could learn new skills despite inability to form new declarative memories (shows memory systems are separate)

what is mirror tracing task significance

measures procedural learning even amnesic patients like h.m. improved despite not remebering practice sessions, shows procedural memory not equal declarative memory

what is habit loop

cue=trigger routine=behavior reward=reinforcing outcome, this strengthens habits

what is habit

learned behavior that becomes automatic through repetition often cue-triggered

what is cortical plasticity

brain changes organization/function with learning and experience, practice physically changes neural pathways

what is motor cortex role

controls voluntary movement, reorganizes with practice

what is cerebellum role in skill learning

coordinates time movement precisions motor correction learned motor responses (movement fine-tuner)

what is straitum role

major input area of basal ganglia is involved in reward-based skill learning and habit formation

what is basal ganglia role in procedural memory

critical for habit learning action selection procedural learning (habit/action center)

what is deliberate practice

focused practice aimed at weaknesses with feedback and correction (practice with purpose)

what is expert performance

extremely skilled performance developed through extensive deliberate practice (not just repetition targeted improvement)

what is practice effect

repeated performance improved speed accuracy and consistency

what is skill learning

gradual improvement in performance through repetition and feedback

what is automaticity

skill becomes fast efficient and needs little conscious attention after practice

what is difference between procedural and declarative memory

procedural is how declarative is what (ex knowing how to ride a bike= procedural vs knowing what a bike is =declarative)

procedural memory

memory for how to do things, skill sna dhabits become automatic with practice(ex riding a bike typing tying shoes)

what is nondeclarative (implicit) memory

memory expressed through performance, not conscious recall, includes skills/habits priming conditioning (show it dont’t tell it)

what is semantic network theory

concepts stored as linked nodes, activating one concept spreads activation to related concepts (ex dog-bark-pet-cat)

what is false memroy

remebering event/details that never happened or are distored, can arise from suggestion inference reconsolidation

what does reconstructive memory mean

memory is rebuilt at retrieval not perfectly replayed so distortions can occur (trap: memory not equal recording)

what is state-dependent memory

recall improves when internal state matches learning state (Ex same mood/drug state)

what is context-dependent memory

recall improves when retrieval context matches encoding context (Ex same room helps recall)

what is retrieval cue

stimulus that helps access stored memory

what is pattern completion

small cue retrieves whole memory, partial info activates full memory (ex smell triggers full childhood memory)

what is pattern separation

brain makes similar experiences into distinc memories prevents confusion (ex remebering where you parked today vs yesterday)

what is nmda receptor role

important glutamate receptor involved in ltp and memory formation

what is long-term potentiation

persistent strengthening of synapses after repeated activation, major mechanism for learning/memory (neurons that fire together wire together)

what is synaptic consolidation

cellular changes shortly after learning strengthen synaptic connections

what is systems consolidation

over time, memories become less dependent on hippocampus and more distributed in cortex

what is temporarally graded retrograde amnesia

recent memories lost more than older memories, older memories are more resistant (because older memories become consolidated in cortex)

what is retrograde amnesia

loss of memories formed before injury

what is anterograde amnesia

inability to form new long-term memories after injury

why is hm important

after bilateral medial temporal lobe removal severe anterograde amnesia could not form new declarative memories old memories partly intact procedural learning intact, showed hippocampus is essential for new declarative memory

what is medial temporal lobe role

contains hippocampus and surrounding structures important for declarative memory formation

what is hippocampus role in memory

critical for forming new declarative memories, especially episodic memory (hippocampus=memory builder)

what is an engram

physical/biological trace of memory stored in the brain (memory representation)

what is reconsolidation

retrieved memory becomes temporarily flexible/alterable before being stored again (trap: recall can change memory)

what is consolidation

process that stabilizes a memory after learning, turns fragile memory into long-lasting memory

what is retrieval

accessing stored memory when needed

what is storage

maintaining encoded information over time

what is encoding

processing information into a form that can be stored in memory

hwat is difference between episodic and semantic memory

episodic is lived it semantic is know it (ex i remeber my 18th birthday=episodic vs i know birthdays happen yearly=semantic)

what is semantic memory

memory for facts meanings concepts and general knowledge, not tied to a specific personal event (Ex boston is in massachusetts)

what is episodic memory

memory for personal experiences/events, includes what happened where when (episode of your life)

what is declarative memory

memory you can consiously recall and describe, includes episodic memory and semantic memory (declare=say it out loud)

what are key reward areas

VTA (dopamine source), substantia nigra (dopamine and movement), orbitofrontal cortex (evaluates reward value) dorsal striatum (habits/action tendencies) insula and dACC (punishment/aversion)

what is incentive salience hypothesis

dopamine drives wanting, not necessarily liking

what is instinctive drift

learned behavior shifts back toward instinctive behavior

learned helplessness

repeated uncotrollable bad events→passive ‘nothing matters’ response

what is overjustification effect

external rewards reduce intrinsic motivation

difference between intrinsice vs extrinsic motivation

intrinsic is internal enjoyment extrinsic is outside reward

what is optimal arousal theory

organisms seek ideal stimulation level (not too high not too low)

what is hulls drive reduction theory

biological needs create drives→behavior reduces drive→reinforcment occurs

what is premack principle

more preferred behavior reinforces less preferred behavior (Ex homework then tv)

what is variable interval schedule

reward after unpredictable time (ex pop quizzes)

what is fixed interval schedule

reward after fixed amount of time (ex weekly paycheck)

what is variable ration schedule

reward after unpredictable number of responses, most resistant to extinction (ex slot machine)

what is fixed ration schedule

reward after set number of responses (ex. paid every 10 sales)

what is partial reinforcement

reward only sometimes, slower learning, more resistant to extinction

what is continouse reinforcement

reward every response, fast learning, fast extinction

what is extinction (operant)

behavior weakens when reinforcement stops

what is shaping

reinforcing small steps toward target behavior (successive approximations)

what is secondary reinforcer

learned reward through association (ex money grades praise)

what is primary reinforcer

naturally rewarding (Ex food water warmth)

what is negative punishment

remove pleasant stimulus→behavior decreases (ex lose phone privilges)

what is positive punishment

add unpleasant stimulus→behavior decreases (Ex scolding)

what is punishment

any consequence that decrease behavior

what is negative reinforcement

remove unpleasant stimulus→behavior increases (ex seatbelt buzzer stops), not punishment

what is positive reinforcement

add pleasant stimulus behavior increases (ex praise reward money)

what is reinforcement

any consequence that increases behavior (reinforcement=behavior goes up)

bf skinner’s contribution

expanded operant conditioning research using skinner box, focused on reinfrocement punishment and schedules

what is law of effect

behaviors followed by satifying outcomes becomes more likely, unpleasant outcomes make behaviors less likely

edward thornike’s contribution

created puzzle boz experiments and proposed law of effect, foundation for operant conditioning

what is instrumental conditioning

behavior becomes a tool (instrument) to get reward or avoid punishment, essentially early operant conditioning

what is operant conditioning

learning in which behavior is shaped by its consequences, reward→behavior increases punishment behavior decreases (behavior-consequence-learning)