Recording-2025-03-03T19:16:59.731Z

State Dependent Learning

• Definition: Learning and memory recall is influenced by the state of the learner at the time of encoding and retrieval.

  • Can be physical state (e.g., temperature, location) or emotional state (e.g., happy, sad).

• Example: A student struggles to recall information during an exam if they are seated in a different location than where they learned the material.

  • Personal Anecdote: A student felt disoriented on exam day due to a change in seating arrangement.

Emotional State Dependent Learning

• Higher Recall: Memory recall is generally better when in the same emotional state as during learning.

  • Studies: Recall is improved when recalling memories in a positive state after initial emotional stimuli compared to negative states.

Positive and Negative Transfer

• Positive Transfer: Skills or knowledge acquired from one task helps in learning a new but similar task.

  • Example: A skilled skateboarder finds it easier to learn snowboarding due to similarities in body mechanics.

• Negative Transfer: Skills or knowledge from one task interferes with learning a new task due to differences.

  • Example: Learning to drive in the UK (opposite side) is confusing for someone used to driving in the US.

Interference in Learning

• Types of Interference:

  • Retroactive Interference: New information hinders the ability to recall previously learned information.

    • Example: Overwhelming new material (like the limbic system) can cause students to forget previously studied material (brain function).

  • Proactive Interference: Older information hampers the acquisition of new information.

    • Example: Procrastinating students might find it hard to retain new material because they are cramming.

The Role of the Hippocampus

• Hippocampus Function: Essential for consolidating memories from short-term to long-term and affected by drugs, age, and emotional states.

• Health Implications: Proper diet, exercise, and avoiding drugs can preserve the hippocampus's health and function.

Flashbulb Memories

• Definition: Vivid recollections of significant events often linked with intense emotions, typically traumatic.

  • Memory Accuracy: Despite their vividness, flashbulb memories can be inaccurate due to external narratives and constant discussion.

Suppression vs. Repression of Memories

• Suppression: A conscious effort to forget painful memories (e.g., avoiding thoughts of an ex or a failed exam).

• Repression: An unconscious process where one forgets painful events, often due to traumatic experiences.

  • Example of Repression: Difficult experiences during childhood that a person cannot recall not out of choice, but because the memory was subconsciously blocked.

Memory Recovery and PTSD

• Trauma and Memory: With PTSD, memories associated with trauma are overly accessible and can cause significant distress.

  • Active Recall: The memory remains fresh and haunting due to overactivity in the amygdala, which processes memories related to fear and sadness.

Types of Amnesia

• Retrograde Amnesia: Loss of memory for events before injury.

  • Example: Not remembering experiences from the past following an accident.

• Anterograde Amnesia: Inability to form new memories after a brain injury.

  • Example: Person can recall past experiences but cannot remember events from after the injury.