PSYC 211: Types of Learning & Memory

best description of neuronal plasticity

the basis of learning of memory— how neurons continually adapt to changing environment by altering excitability & interconnectivity w/ other neurons

non-associative learning & the two types

describes process of implicit learning

habituation (desensitive to stimulus after its repeated quite a bit)

• sensory neurons release less vesicles of NT onto motor neurons

sensitization: after initial painful/arousing stimuli, you respond more in future & have heightened sense

• sensory neurons release more vesciles of NT onto motor neurons

stimulus-response learning & examples/types (general)

pavlovian learning & operant learning

stimulus-stimulus learning & examples (general)

episodic & semantic memory, connecting one stimulus (senses/percept of memory, relational learning

perceptual learning & example, how it gets better, when it occurs in development, how its understood

implicit (doesn’t need hippocampus), requires attention (overhearing foreign language)

ex: sorting pile of cars by color

occurs early on in development, gets better by testing perception from diff vantage points & perspectives — ex: smelling diff perfumes to perfect olfaction systems

mechanics of system understood poorly— we know primary sensory cortices & association areas used

sequence of development of learning

perceptual learning → motor learning → non-associative learning

motor learning, how you can improve, what helps

implicit learning — unconscious, can get better by repeated practice of actions & thru between-session learning

• mind rehearses what its learned & solidifies neuronal connections that have newly formed in brain to better over time

attention & formal coaching can help

sensorimotor integration

when we move, we receive feedback from our systems (vestibular, propioception, eyes, ears) that help us know what effective movement feels & looks like

why is it that quincy will say “what” even tho he heard what i said & will respond a few seconds later

unattended sensory info reverberates as neural activity in working memory for a few seconds after we hear it, can still find what i said

working memory

basically short term, helps you keep info as you actively think abt it—lasts seconds to minutes & when you get distracted for more than 30 secs & can still remember info its now in long term

sensory input gain control, what level does it occur at & example

the innate reflexes we are born with that can get stronger or weaker depending on prior learned implicit behavior

• learning happens below conscious awareness

  • can notice changes in behavior but memories are implicit

example: reflex test at doctor (sensitization)

pavlovian/classical conditioning & diff parts w/ given example

implicit, participants can’t have control over their behavior

innate, reflexive behavior due to conditioned behaviors

US (food) paired w/ NS (bell) form CS (bell) that (US) previously triggered UR (salivating) now trigger CR (salivating)

• CS → CR

diff brain regions encode diff forms of pavolvian learning depending on situation

• ex: conditioned fear response triggers amygdala

operant conditioning, conscious vs unconscious

animals do have control over their own behavior, learn based on exploratory behavior & dopamine signaling from reinforcement/punishment

still often occurs underneath conscious awareness

• stimulus-response learning

reinforcing stimuli

appetitive stimuli, increases likelihood of repeating behavior

aversive stimuli

punishing stimuli, reduces likelihood of repeating behavior

conditional &/or secondary reinforces/punishers w/ example

conditioned stimuli w/ societally based value associated w/ them in stimulus-response learning

ex: money, societal praise

two main pathways from sensory to motor cortices

direct transcortical connections: from one area of cerebral cortex to another

• helps in initial, conscious/deliberate processing when learning new motor function

basal ganglia: forebrain

• responsible for automating operant behaviors— creating habitual responses & frees up space in direct transcortical connections

  • when exploratory behavior is repeatedly reinforced— automates decision making process

dopamine signaling

drives habit learning, acts as “thumbs up/down” from reinforcement learning to determine future behavior

limbic circuit

in nucleus accumbens, responsible for amgydala processing of reward & motivation, process priorities & cravings

sensorimotor circuit

responsible for actions of habit

ex: throwing a frisbee

associative circuit

responsible for habits of thought, higher-order processing

ex: “I want to study”

what would lesions to the basal ganglia do

would disrupt motor skills and reinforcement & habit learning

• wouldn’t have strong effect perceptual or stimulus-stimulus learning

episodic encoding & retrieval

pattern storage

• cortical sensory info at the time → hippocampus node created

pattern retrieval

• can retrigger thru cues

• partial cues → activate node & cortical sensory info from the time

episodic memory & hippocampus role

explicit, mental time-travel

requires hippocampus to create new memories (H.M couldn’t— anterrograde amnesia), but doesn’t need them to retrieve old memories

• shown in experiment w/ rats learning maze & being able to solve w/o hippocampus after 30 days

semantic memory & hippocampus role

general, acquired knowledge abt world, explicit

• hippocampus needed to initially create semantic memories, formed by revisiting episodic memories

how semantic & episodic memories persist after hippocampal damage

• old semantic memories persist, can’t form new ones

• old episodic memories persist but become less vivid & accurate, can’t form new ones

semantic transfer theory

once info becomes hardwired in hippocampus, hippocampus not needed to retrieve older info— episodic now semantic knowledge stored in neocortex

• cerebral cortex still needed to help formulate semantic memories

how does time spent in working memory relate to maintenance of memories

longer time spent in working memory means they’ll be maintained for longer