Introduction to Learning & Memory

1. Introduction to Learning &Memory Memory

2. Memory • Biological Basis of Memory • Overview and Sensory Memory • Short-Term or Working Memory • Learning and Encoding in Long-Term Memory • The Organization of Long-Term Memory • Remembering Memory

3. Biological Basis of Memory • Recall that synaptic transmission is the mode of information passing which occurs in the brain between neurons So is there a synaptic mechanism that correlates to memory? YES it is called long term (synaptic) potentiation Memory

4. Biological Basis of Memory Response to Input A or B Excitatory Synaspes After stimulating A + B for one hour response to original stimulus at A or B becomes larger Recording Electrode Glutamate Receptors Stimulus 20 40 msec Memory

5. ) l 200 o r t n 180 o c 160 f o % 140 ( e 120 d u t i 100 l p m 80 A 60 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 Time (min) Biological Basis of Memory Potentiation of this response can also be created by briefly giving a high frequency stimulation for just a short time (1s) This brief stimulation can last for hours (or days) Response to one stimulation after high frequency stimulation Control response to one stimulation Memory

6. Biological Basis of Memory • LTP is the increased synaptic response to excitatory neurotransmitter (glutamate) • It causes a neurone or a group of neurones to be more efficiently stimulated by (an)other excitatory neurone(s) • Drugs that block glutamate response stop memories from being formed • This first occurs in the hippocampus A brain area in the limbic system of the brain, located deep in the temporal lobe, it plays an important role in memory. ALSO LTP also involves structural changes in formed synapses as well as the formation of new synapses Memory

7. Flow information from input through to memory Memory

8. Overview and Sensory Memory • Iconic Memory: a form of sensory memory that holds a brief visual memory of something that has just been received Memory

9. Echoic Memory • Echoic memory is a form of sensory memory for sounds that have just been perceived. MAL MAL LET CONTENT Memory

10. Short-Term or Working Memory • Encoding of Information: Interaction with Long-Term Memory • Primacy and Recency Effects • Loss of Information from Short-Term Memory Memory

11. The Limits of Working Memory Is defined as the immediate memory for stimuli that have just been perceived. It is limited in terms of both capacity (7 ± 2 chunks of information) and duration (less than 20 seconds). • 5 1 4 3 9 8 5 7 1 1 But chunking of information can help: 514-398-5711 a phone number Or better still : CBCCSISFBI becomes: CBC CSIS FBI Memory

12. Encoding of Information: Interaction with Long-Term Memory Encoding of short term memory usually requires an interaction with long term memory Your ability to memorize the following requires a familiarity with symbols or thing to be remembered. F 8.3 Memory

13. Encoding of Information: Interaction with Long-Term Memory Short term memory becomes very difficult if there is no point of reference Try memorizing the following: Y G h q r v Memory

14. Read this list of words: Dog Cat Fish Leg Hat Pen Top Pat Gut Mat Primacy and Recency Effects Memory

15. Primacy and Recency Effects • Primacy effect is the tendency to remember initial information because we can rehearse it. • dog, cat vs. top or pen Recency effect is the tendency to recall later information because it has been committed to short term memory • gut, mat vs. fish or leg Memory

16. Varieties of Working Memory:Phonological F 8.5 Memory

17. Aphasia: A Disruption of the Phonological System F 8.6 Memory

18. Learning and Encoding in Long-Term Memory • The Consolidation Hypothesis • The Levels of Processing Hypothesis • Improving Long-Term Memory Memory

19. The Consolidation Hypothesis • Consolidation is the process by which information in short-term memory is transferred to long-term memory. • This is very effective and involves primarily rehearsal of the facts. Brain injury can and does effect our ability to retrieve facts this is called retrograde amnesia but short term memory may be uneffected Thus long term and short term memory seems to be stored separately implying that there is a “movement” of information from one brain process to the next. Maintenance rehearsal is the main strategy here: i.e. rote repetition Shallow Processing: the analysis of the superficial characteristics of stimulus such as size or shape recognising a word such as “fish” Memory

20. The Levels of Processing Hypothesis • The strategy here is: • Elaborative Rehearsal: processing of information in such a way as an association or meaning is attached. Thus you may more readily recall something if another complexity or contextual reference added to the information. Deep processing: refers to the analysis of the complex characteristics such as its meaning or impact “Fish” becomes big and small, slimy, lives in water, sometimes good to eat. Memory

21. Read This and try to memorise it! • With Hocked gems financing him our hero bravely defied all scornful laughter that tried to prevent his scheme. “Your eyes deceive”he had said” An egg not a table correctly typifies this unexplored planet Now three sturdy sisters sought proof. Forging along sometimes through calm vastness yet more often over trubulent peaks and valleys days became weeks as many doubters spread fearful rumours about the edge. Memory

22. Familiarity helps encode memory The Voyage of Cristopher Columbus • With Hocked gems financing him our hero bravely defied all scornful laughter that tried to prevent his scheme. “Your eyes deceive”he had said” AM egg not a table correctly typifies this unexplored planet Now three sturdy sisters sought proof. Forging along sometimes through calm vastness yet more often over trubulent peaks and valleys days became weeks as many doubters spread fearful rumours about the edge. Memory

23. The Levels of Processing Hypothesis • Effortful Processing: practising information rehearsal, typically studying consciously focusing our attention on something • Automatic Processing: formation of memories requires no little or no attention, • It nevertheless involves the repetition of fact or situation but we involuntarily remember Memory

24. The Organization of Long-Term Memory • Episodic and Semantic Memory episodic memory A type of long-term memory that serves as a record of our life’s experiences. semantic memory A type of long-term memory that contains data, facts, and other information, including vocabulary. Memory

25. Explicit and Implicit Memory • Explicit memory is memories that can be described verbally, and thus, we are consciously aware of. • facts, knowledge • e.g., names of the provinces in Canada • Implicit memory is memories that cannot be described verbally, and thus, are not available to consciousness. • skills, habits • e.g., riding a bicycle Memory

26. The Biological Basis of Long-Term Memory Memory

27. Remembering • Remembering and Recollecting • How Long Does Long-Term Memory Last? • Remembering and Interference Memory

28. Improving Long-Term Memory Through Mnemonics • Mnemonics are a system of conscious strategies designed to improve memory. • Lines of the music staff are the notes E,G,B,D,F # 4 food deserves boy good every f d 4 b g e Memory

29. Method of Loci method of loci A mnemonic system in which items to be remembered are mentally associated with specific physical locations or landmarks. F 8.11 Memory

30. Peg-words peg-word methodA mnemonic system in which items to be remembered are associated with a set of mental pegs that one already has in memory, such as key words of a rhyme. F 8.12 Memory

31. Remembering and Recollecting Its automatic and difficult to control F 8.15 Memory

32. Retroactive and Proactive Interference F 8.20 Memory

33. Retroactive and Proactive Interference • proactive interference Interference in recall that occurs when previously learned information disrupts our ability to remember newer information. • retroactive interference Interference in recall that occurs when recently learned information disrupts our ability to remember older information. Memory