PSY 319 - FInal Exam

What are the three stages of memory?

Encoding (input), consolidation (stabilizing), retrieval (accessing)

What is encoding?

The process of transforming information into a form that can be stored in memory.

What is consolidation?

Stabilizing memory after encoding

What brain area is most involved in encoding?

Mainly involves the hippocampus.

What is retrieval?

Accessing stored information.

Recall

retrieving information from the past

Recognition

a form of retrieval where one says whether something is familiar or not

What is short-term memory?

Temporary storage (about 20–30 seconds, limited capacity ~7 items)

What is working memory?

a limited capacity temporary storage system that underpins complex human thought

Neural correlates of working memory?

Prefrontal cortex.

What is long-term memory?

indefinite storage of information

What is semantic memory?

information that has entered your general knowledge base

Neural correlates of semantic memory?

temporal and parietal cortex

What is episodic memory?

Memory for personal experiences/events.

Neural correlates of episodic memory?

Hippocampus + temporal lobe

What are place cells and time cells?

Place cells = location coding; Time cells = sequence/timing of events.

What is explicit memory?

things that are consciously recollected

Implicit memories

memory that is not deliberate or conscious but shows evidence of being learned

Neural correlates of implicit memory?

striatum

What is procedural memory?

knowledge that concerns action and sequences of actions

What is amnesia?

partial or total loss of memory

Anterograde

can’t form new memories

Retrograde

lose old memories.

What is Alzheimer’s disease?

Progressive neurodegenerative disorder affecting memory.

Amyloid-β protein?

Proteins that build up between neurons in Alzheimer’s.

Tau protein

protein that usually gives structure to neurons begins to form abnormal tangles

What is contralateral organization?

Each hemisphere controls the opposite side of the body.

How is visual information organized?

Left visual field → right hemisphere; right visual field → left hemisphere.

What is the corpus callosum?

thick bridge of axons between the hemispheres

What is lateralization?

when one hemisphere is more involved than the other with a particular psychological process

Right-handed people

95% left hemisphere dominant for speech

Left-handed people:

80% left hemisphere dominant for speech

Lateralization

when one hemisphere is more involved than the other with a particular psychological process

What defines human language?

unique among animals for its productivity and its use of symbols

Sensitive periods of language learning

young children are especially disposed to learn a language;Early childhood critical for language acquisition.

Broca’s aphasia

impairment with language production

Broca’s area

involved in speech production and processing syntax (grammar)

Broca’s area location

Left frontal lobe

Wernicke’s aphasia

impairment with producing meaningful language and understanding language

Wernicke’s area

language comprehension for spoken, written, and signed

Wernicke’s area location?

Left temporal lobe, basal ganglia and thalamus

Role of temporal lobe in language?

Language comprehension.

Role of parietal lobe in language?

Integration of sensory/language information

Spoken language in the brain?

Temporal + frontal areas (Wernicke’s + Broca’s).

Written language in the brain?

Visual cortex + angular gyrus.

Arcuate fasciculus

connects Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas

Dorsal stream

maps auditory speech sounds to motor articulations

Ventral stream

maps speech signals to meaning, supporting language comprehension

Association cortex

regions of the cerebral cortex that integrate sensory inputs, memory, and motor outputs

Dyslexia in the brain

reduced activity in the VWFA for words and letters

Is language evolved?

Evidence suggests biological basis + environmental influence.

What is the Central Executive Network (CEN)?

large-scale brain network essential for sustained external attention, complex problem solving, and working memory

Key areas of CEN

Dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC)

Posterior parietal cortex

Tasks of CEN?

uGoal management and goal-directed activity

u Problem-solving and decision-making

uMaintaining external focus

uWorking memory 

uCognitive control, meaning inhibiting distractions and impulses

linked to hyperconnectivity in the CEN

Attention-deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

What is the Default Mode Network (DMN)?

large-scale brain network active when you are not focused on an outside task

Key areas of DMN?

uMedial prefrontal cortex

uPosterior cingulate cortex

uAngular gyrus

When is DMN active?

uDaydreaming

uMind-wandering

uThinking of the past

uThinking of the future

uThinking of other people

uImagining new things

When is DMN inactive?

uDifficult external task

uVisual attention

uWorking memory tasks

uMeditation

Iinked to difficulty retrieving episodic memories in DMN

Alzheimer’s

DMN is disrupted in

autism spectrum disorder (may explain difficulties with social interaction)

DMN activity is increased in

depression (Rumination)

Rumination

obsessive and repetitive thinking about the same negative thoughts; a key symptom of depression

Salience Network (SN)

large-scale network responsible for switching between internally directed cognition of the DMN and the externally directed cognition of the executive network

Key areas of SN?

uAnterior insula

uDorsal anterior cingulate cortex

uDetects emotional and sensory stimuli in the environment

uIntegrates stimuli

Key functions of Salience Network