Ch 3 Learning and Memory

habituation

repeated exposure to the same stimulus can cause a decrease in response called this

dishabituation

you start to react to the stimulus again after habituation has occurred or is occurring

associative learning

the creation of a pairing either between two stimuli or between a behavior and a response

classical and operant conditioning

What are the two types of associative learning?

classical conditioning

type of associative learning that takes advantage of instinctual responses to create a pairing between two unrelated stimuli

extinction

the loss of a conditioned response , and can occur if the conditioned stimulus is repeatedly presented without the unconditioned stimulus

operant conditioning

seeing how consequences of voluntary behaviors change the frequency of those behaviors

fixed-ratio (FR) schedules

reinforce a behavior after a specific number of performances of that behavior

CS: smell of popcorn

US: balloon popping

CR: getting nervous

UR: startled by pop

A college student plays a prank on a roommate by popping a balloon behind the roommate’s head after every time making popcorn. Before long, the smell of popcorn makes the roommate nervous. What is the CS, US, CR, and UR in this?

variable-ratio (VR) schedules

reinforce a behavior after a varying number of performances of the behavior, but such that the average number of performances to receive a reward is relatively constant

fixed-interval (FI) schedules

reinforce the first instance of a behavior after a specified time period has elapsed

variable-interval (VI) schedules

reinforce a behavior the first time that behavior is performed after a varying interval of time

variable ratio (VR) schedule

Which of the schedules works the fastest for learning a new behavior and is also the most resistant to extinction?

encoding

the process of putting new information into memory

semantic, acoustic, visual

Order the three modes of encoding from strongest to weakest

visual encoding

visualizing info because controlled processing is required

acoustic encoding

storing the way something sounds because controlled processing is required

semantic coding

putting info into a meaningful context because controlled processing is required

maintenance is repeating info over and over to keep it in your short term for immediate use. Elaborative is associating new info to other stored knowledge to move info from short to long term

In what ways is maintenance rehearsal different from elaborative rehearsal?

You will take the MCAT in a quiet room, and the music competes for your attention

In terms of recall, why might it be a bad idea to study for the MCAT while listening to music?

source-monitoring error, misinformation effect, and time elapsed between event and trial

What are some factors that might cause eyewitness courtroom testimony to be unreliable?

self-reference effect

putting information into the context of our own lives to remember it better

method of loci

way to remember a list of items by mentally placing these items throughout your house. Then, take a mental walk through the house to recall the items

sensory memory

the first and most fleeting kind of memory storage that lasts less than one second and preserves information in its original sensory form

short-term memory

lasts 30 seconds without rehearsal. Limited to 7 plus or minus 2 items. housed in the hippocampus

working memory

type of memory that allows us to do simple math in our heads

implicity memory

a type of long term memory where our skills, habits, and conditioned responses that do not need to be consciously recalled

procedural memory

a type of implicit memory that is like “muscle memory”

explicit memory

a type of long-term memory that can be consciously recalled, voluntarily or involuntarily

episodic memory

stores personal events and episodes tied to specific times and places

semantic memory

facts in our memory that are not tied to specific life experiences

retrieval

the process of demonstrating that something that has been learned has been retained

source monitoring error

confusion between semantic and episodic memory

state-dependent memory

a retrieval cue based on performing better when in the same mental state as when the info was learned

serial-position effect

you have better recall for the first few and last few items of a list

proactive interference

old info is interfering with new learning

retroactive interference

new info causes forgetting of old info

misinformation effect

a person’s recall of an event becomes less accurate due to the injection of outside info into the memory

neuroplasticity

neural connections forming rapidly in response to stimuli when we are younger

synaptic pruning

as we grow older, weak neural connections are broken while strong ones are bolstered

long-term potentiation

the term for strengthening memory connections through increased neurotransmitter release and receptor density