Memory and Learning final

A set of vocabulary flashcards focused on memory and learning concepts from neuroscience, covering key terms and their definitions.

Learning

The process of acquiring new information or behavior patterns so that they change based on experience.

Memory

The ability to store and retrieve information, or the specific information stored in the brain.

Amnesia

A severe memory impairment.

Retrograde Amnesia

Loss of memories formed before the onset of amnesia.

Anterograde Amnesia

The inability to form memories after the onset of a disorder.

Declarative Memory

Facts and information acquired through learning that can be stated or described.

Nondeclarative Memory

Memory shown by performance rather than recollection; includes skills and actions.

Delayed Non-Matching-to-Sample Task

A test of object recognition memory that requires identifying what was not seen previously.

Medial Temporal Lobe

Region of the brain crucial for forming certain types of memory.

Patient H.M.

A case study of a patient with severe memory impairment due to brain surgery.

Confabulation

Filling a gap in memory with a falsification.

Semantic Memory

Generalized declarative memory.

Episodic Memory

Detailed autobiographical memory.

Forgetting

The inability to access memories over time.

Memory Trace

The physical manifestation of a memory in the brain.

Reconsolidation

The return of a memory trace to stable, long-term storage after recall.

Sensory Buffer

The briefest recollection of sensory impressions.

Short-Term Memory (STM)

Memories that last about 30 seconds or throughout rehearsal.

Long-Term Memory (LTM)

Memories that can last days, weeks, months, or years.

Encoding

The process of converting sensory information into short-term memory.

Consolidation

The process of stabilizing a memory trace after its formation.

Retrieval

The process of accessing stored information.

Hippocampus

A brain region involved in the formation of new memories.

LTP (Long-Term Potentiation)

A stable and enduring increase in the effectiveness of synapses.

Hebbian Synapses

Connections between neurons that become stronger when activated together.

Tetanus

A brief, high-frequency burst of electrical stimuli that induces LTP.

NMDA Receptors

Glutamate receptors that play a critical role in synaptic plasticity and memory formation.

AMPA Receptors

Glutamate receptors that mediate fast synaptic transmission in the central nervous system.

Basal Ganglia

Brain structures involved in nondeclarative memory and motor control.

Classical Conditioning

Learning process that involves creating associations between stimuli.

Instrumental Conditioning

Learning process whereby the consequences of a behavior influence the likelihood of it being repeated.

Place Cells

Neurons in the hippocampus that become active when an animal is in or moving towards a specific location.

Priming

A change in stimulus processing due to prior exposure to the stimulus.

Korsakoff's Syndrome

A memory deficiency caused by damage to specific brain regions due to a lack of thiamine.

Experiential Enrichment

The process by which complex environments enhance brain growth and function.

Synaptic Plasticity

The ability of synapses to strengthen or weaken over time, in response to increases or decreases in their activity.

Short-term Memory Capacity

The limited capacity of working memory that can typically hold about seven items.

Cholinergic Activity

Activity related to the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, crucial for memory and learning.

Autobiographical Memory

Memory for personal experiences and specific events in a person’s life.

Interference Theory

The theory that forgetting occurs because new information interferes with the retrieval of old information.

Behaviorism

A school of thought that focuses on observable behaviors and their relationship to environmental stimuli.

Cognitive Psychology

The study of mental processes such as attention, memory, perception, and problem-solving.

Neural Circuitry

The interconnected pathways of neurons that govern specific types of behavior and processing.

Amygdala

A brain region involved in emotional processing, including memory formation related to emotions.

Cortex

The outer layer of the brain, involved in complex cognitive functions.

Dendritic Branching

The process by which neurons grow dendrites to receive more synaptic inputs.

Neurotransmitter

Chemical substances that transmit signals across synapses between neurons.

Experimental Psychology

The branch of psychology that uses experimental methods to research the mind and behavior.

Reductionism

An approach that breaks complex systems into simpler components to understand them.

Plasticity

The brain's ability to change and adapt as a result of experience.