Chapter 12- Learning, Memory and Intelligence | Quizlet

Alzheimer's disease

A progressive condition associated with memory loss, confusion, depression, restlessness, hallucinations, and loss of appetite. It involves the accumulation of amyloid-β and abnormal tau proteins, leading to brain atrophy.

amnesia

Memory loss. It can affect the ability to form new memories or recall past ones, and occurs in various forms including anterograde and retrograde amnesia.

amyloid-β

A protein that accumulates in and around neurons in Alzheimer's disease, damaging axons and dendrites and leading to plaque formation.

classical conditioning

A learning process in which pairing two stimuli changes the response to one of them. For example, a neutral stimulus becomes associated with a meaningful one to elicit a similar response

conditioned response (CR)

The learned response to a conditioned stimulus after it has been paired with an unconditioned stimulus

conditioned stimulus (CS)

A stimulus that initially elicits no response but, after being paired with an unconditioned stimulus, comes to elicit a conditioned response.

confabulation

A symptom of Korsakoff's syndrome in which patients fill in memory gaps with guesses, often believing these false memories to be true.

consolidate

To strengthen a memory and store it in long-term memory, often involving protein synthesis and structural changes in the brain.

delayed response task

A task used to test working memory, in which the subject must remember a stimulus after a short delay before responding.

engram

The physical representation of what has been learned—a memory trace in the brain.

equipotentiality

The idea that all parts of the cortex contribute equally to complex behaviors such as learning, and any part can substitute for another.

infant amnesia

The universal phenomenon where older children and adults recall very few memories from early childhood. It may relate to hippocampal development and neuron turnover

instrumental conditioning

Also known as operant conditioning; a learning process in which behavior is followed by reinforcement or punishment, affecting the likelihood of that behavior recurring.

Korsakoff's syndrome

A disorder caused by thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiency, often due to alcoholism, leading to brain damage and memory impairments including confabulation.

lateral interpositus nucleus (LIP)

A part of the cerebellum identified by Richard Thompson as essential for certain types of classical conditioning learning.

long-term memory

Memory of events from further back in time, which can persist for a long period and is distinct from short-term memory in capacity and durability.

mass action

The concept that the cortex works as a whole, and more cortex leads to better learning and memory.

punishment

An event that decreases the probability of a behavior recurring.

reinforcer

An event that increases the probability of a behavior recurring

short-term memory

Memory of recent events that lasts briefly unless it is rehearsed. It differs from long-term memory in capacity and vulnerability to disruption.

tau protein

A protein involved in the intracellular support structure of axons. In Alzheimer's disease, abnormal tau forms tangles inside neurons, contributing to cell degeneration.

unconditioned response (UCR)

The automatic response elicited by an unconditioned stimulus.

unconditioned stimulus (UCS)

A stimulus that automatically elicits an unlearned response.

working memory

A system for temporarily storing and manipulating information while performing cognitive tasks. It replaces the concept of short-term memory and is associated with the prefrontal cortex.