Chapter13_Book Learning and Memory Concepts

Flashcards focusing on key vocabulary and concepts related to learning and memory.

Patient H.M. (Henry Molaison)

A famous research participant who lost the ability to form new declarative memories after surgery that removed parts of his medial temporal lobe.

Amnesia

Severe impairment of memory, which can be classified into retrograde and anterograde amnesia.

Retrograde amnesia

Difficulty in retrieving memories formed before the onset of amnesia.

Anterograde amnesia

Difficulty in forming new memories beginning with the onset of a disorder.

Hippocampus

A medial temporal lobe structure that is crucial for learning and memory.

Declarative memory

Memory of facts and information acquired through learning that can be consciously recalled.

Nondeclarative memory

Memory about perceptual or motor procedures that is demonstrated by performance rather than conscious recollection.

Long-term potentiation (LTP)

A stable and enduring increase in the effectiveness of synapses following repeated strong stimulation.

Encoding

The first process of the memory system, where raw information is passed into short-term memory.

Consolidation

The process of transferring information from short-term memory to long-term memory.

Retrieval

The process of recalling stored information from memory.

Korsakoff's syndrome

A memory disorder caused by thiamine deficiency, often associated with chronic alcoholism, leading to memory impairments.

Episodic memory

A type of declarative memory that includes specific events and experiences from one's life.

Semantic memory

Generalized declarative memory, such as knowing facts or concepts without recalling specific learned experiences.

Priming

A change in the way you process a stimulus due to prior exposure, which can influence responses without affecting declarative memory.

Classical conditioning

A learning process where a neutral stimulus becomes associated with a meaningful stimulus, producing a conditioned response.

Instrumental conditioning

A form of associative learning where behaviors are modified by their consequences.

Neuroplasticity

The ability of the nervous system to change in response to experience or environmental factors.

Memory trace (engram)

A persistent change in the brain that reflects the storage of memory.

Reconsolidation

The process by which a memory trace returns to stable long-term storage after being retrieved.

Confabulation

A memory error involving the production of fabricated or misinterpreted memories without the intention to deceive.

Cognitive map

A mental representation of the physical environment used to navigate and orient oneself.