Exam 2 Comprehensive Review Study Guide: Memory, Learning, Language, and Intelligence

Administrative Policies & Exam Preparation

  • Exam Logistics & Structure:

    • Question Count: 50 multiple-choice questions.

    • Format: In-class, paper-and-pencil exam using Scantron bubble sheets.

    • Timing & Protocol: Exam administration begins once students are seated and all electronic devices are completely stowed away. A countdown timer is displayed on screen throughout the testing session.

    • Prohibited Items: No electronic devices (phones, smartwatches, laptops) are permitted during testing.

  • Scantron Marking Guidelines:     

    • Writing Utensil: Must use a No. 2 pencil.

    • Marking Technique: Fill in response bubbles completely and darkly.

    • Corrections: Erase cleanly and completely if changing an answer choice.

  • Permitted Notes Sheet:

    • Students may bring 1 single page (sheet of paper) of written or printed notes.

    • Notes may be double-sided (front and back).

    • Any font size, formatting, or handwritten content is acceptable.

  • Effective Study Strategies:

    • Categorical Chunking: Group study material by concept type rather than strictly by chapter (e.g., dedicated sessions for vocabulary matching, theoretical framework synthesis, and scientist/theorist identification).

    • Active Question Generation: Convert study guide learning objectives into practice exam questions (e.g., generating concrete scenario examples to identify conditioning types).

    • Flashcard Practice: Match key vocabulary terms to definitions and researchers to their specific theories.

    • Supplemental Instruction (SI): Utilize SI practice slides and interactive review activities.

  • Supplemental Instruction (SI) Schedule:

    • Session 1: October 5th, 4:00 PM – 4:45 PM in WMBB 231 (Nursing Building).

    • Session 2: October 6th, 6:00 PM – 6:45 PM in Callcott 011 (Adjacent to Russell House).

Chapter 7: Memory Systems & Cognitive Processes

  • Information-Processing Model of Memory:     

    • Sensory Input & Sensory Memory: Brief registration of environmental stimuli across sensory modalities (visual, auditory, tactile, olfactory, gustatory). Unattended sensory information decays and is permanently lost.

    • Short-Term Memory (STM):

      • Requires attention to transition sensory information into active awareness.

      • Unrehearsed information is rapidly lost.

      • Maintenance Rehearsal: Mental repetition loop that maintains information within short-term awareness.

    • Long-Term Memory (LTM):

      • Encoding: Transition of information from STM into permanent LTM storage.

      • Retrieval: Accessing stored information from LTM back into active STM.

      • Over time, information in LTM may degrade, become inaccessible, or suffer retrieval failure.

  • Real-World Memory Application Scenario:

    • Scenario: Listening to a friend describe a newly visited coffee shop.

    • Sensory Inputs: Auditory processing of the friend's voice, visual processing of non-verbal facial expressions.

    • Short-Term Memory Focus: Actively holding key details such as the shop's name, cross-streets, or drink recommendations.

    • Storage & Schemas: Integrating new facts into existing cognitive schemas (e.g., local cafes, weekend routines, preferences of the friend).

    • Retrieval Goal: Accessing the stored information when planning a coffee run or giving recommendations to others.

    • Memory Typology Classification:

      • Episodic Memory: Personal memory of the specific context and experience of having the conversation with the friend.

      • Semantic Memory: Conceptual knowledge of the specific facts learned (e.g., shop name, location, menu offerings).

  • Explicit vs. Implicit Memory: The Case of Henry Molaison (H.M.):     

    Mirror Tracing Error Graph across Three Days

    • Neurological Background: Bilateral surgical removal of medial temporal lobe structures (including hippocampi) produced severe anterograde amnesia, leaving H.M. unable to form new explicit declarative memories.

    • Mirror-Tracing Task: H.M. was instructed to trace a line drawing of a star while viewing his hand and pencil strictly through a mirror reflection.

    • Performance Metrics Across Days:

      • Day 1: High initial error count (∼30\sim 30 errors on attempt 1), dropping steadily to ∼7\sim 7 errors by attempt 10.

      • Day 2: Error rate began dramatically lower (∼14\sim 14 errors), declining quickly to ∼3\sim 3 errors.

      • Day 3: Error rate remained consistently low (2−52-5 errors across all 10 attempts).

    • Theoretical Significance: H.M. demonstrated clear motor skill acquisition and error reduction across days despite having zero conscious recollection of ever performing the task before. This established that procedural memory (implicit/non-declarative memory) operates independently of hippocampal declarative memory structures.

  • Neurobiology of Retrieval & Memory Trace Modification:

    • Engram: The physical or biophysical trace/network of neurons associated with a specific stored memory.

    • Reconsolidation: The dynamic biological process where retrieving a memory returns it to a transient, unstable state, making it susceptible to modification, strengthening, or updating before being stored again.

    • Neural Activation: Reactivating an engram causes spreading activation to adjacent and associatively linked neural networks. While this enhances relational recall, it can also integrate contemporary context, resulting in memory alterations or false memories.

Chapter 8: Principles of Learning & Conditioning

  • Core Concepts and Researchers in Conditioning:

    • Ivan Pavlov: Discovered Classical Conditioning by establishing conditioned salivation reflexes in dogs paired with neutral stimuli.

    • John B. Watson: Conducted classical conditioning experiments on human emotional responses using the infant