PSYC 211 - Lecture 17, Types of learning and memory

What is neuroplasticity?

-Neurons adapt to their environment by modifying gene expression → alters excitability and connection with other neurons

What is perceptual learning?

-Making sense of identifying and categorizing sensory information

-Implicit memories

-Neuronal plasticity in primary sensory cortices and sensory association cortex

What is motor learning?

-The process of acquiring and refining skilled movements through practice and experience

-Implicit memories

-Neuronal plasticity in frontal lobe, basal ganglia, thalamus, brain stem, cerebrum, spinal chord, etc

What is non-associative learning?

-Innate reflexes made stronger/weaker through habituation/sensitization

-Implicit memories

What is Pavlovian conditioning/classical conditioning?

-Innate, reflexive behaviour linked to a sensory cue that was not initially hardwired to trigger it

-Implicit memories

-Animals cannot control response

What is stimulus-stimulus learning?

What are perceptual skills?

-Learnt by repeating the same actions in different contexts and identifying how it’s different from related stimuli

What is an unconditioned stimulus (US)?

-A stimulus that triggers an innate behavioural response

What is an unconditioned response (UR)?

-Innate behavioural response to an unconditioned stimulus

What is a conditioned stimulus (CS)?

-Learned, reflexive behavioural response to a conditioned stimulus

What is a conditioned response?

-Learned, reflexive response to a conditioned stimulus

What is operant conditioning?

-When an animal learns to repeat a behaviour due to the consequences of prior actions

-The animal has complete control to act/not act

What is a reinforcing stimulus?

-A stimulus that can reinforce behaviour

What is a punishing stimulus?

-A stimulus making it less likely for an animal to repeat their previous actions

What are conditioned reinforcers?

-When a conditioned stimuli have a value associated with them

How do direct transcortical connections relate to learning?

How does the basal ganglia relate to reinforced learning?

What is episodic memory?

-The ability to remember detailed information about personal experiences and specific events (time, place, emotional context)

-Explicit memories

What is episodic encoding?

-The initial process of receiving, registering, and organizing information from personal experiences into lasting memories

-Happened in the cortical sensory systems in the hippocampus

What is episode retrieval?

-Partial cues activate the hippocampus, which activates the cortical sensory systems

-The act of retrieving an episodic memory

What is a semantic memory?

-Ability to remember general facts about the world

-Explicit memories

-Created in the cerebral cortex when the brain detects patterns and regularities across episodic memories

What is an explicit memory?

-Consciously recalled memories

-Last few seconds or a lifetime

-Happening in the hippocampus (needed to form long term explicit memory)

What is visual amnesia?

-When a person can see lines, colour, contrast, but is unable to justify what they’re looking at

-However, can still draw copies of photos

What is amnesia?

-Deficit in memory caused by brain damage or temporarily by drugs

What is anterograde amnesia?

-Inability to form new explicit memories after brain injury

What is retrograde amnesia?

-Inability to recall explicit memories from before the brain injury

What is Kosakoff’s syndrome?

-Caused by brain damage due to chronic alcoholism

-Unable to form new explicit memories

-Able to remember old ones before brain damage

What is confabulation?

-A memory error where the brain unconsciously fills memory gaps with fabricated, misinterpreted, or distorted information, believing it to be true

-Common in Kosakoff’s syndrome