Learning and Memory
Learning: change in behavior as a result of experience
Memory: encoding storage, and retrieval of information
You can have memory without learning, but can't have learning without memory
Memory is not one thing
● Different kinds● Different ways of working● Different areas of the brain
Many different areas of the brain are involved in memory.
Sensory Memory
● Very fast● Lasts < 1 sec● Not consciously controlled● Can hold ~ 12 items but degrades so fast you
don't even have time to list all 12● Visual, sound, and touch
Sensory Memory
● Very fast● Lasts < 1 sec● Not consciously controlled● Can hold ~ 12 items but degrades so fast you
don't even have time to list all 12● Visual, sound, and touch
Short-term Memory
● Several seconds to a minute● 4-5 items (originally thought to be 7)● More items by “chunking”
– 808 652 3013 versus 8086523013
● Involves sound and visual code● Maintained by patterns of communication
between neurons
Long-term Memory
● Stores a lot of information, potentially for many years
● Maintained by stable and permanent changes in neuron connections
● Hippocampus is essential in moving information to long-term memory
● Attention and sleep are important
Long-term Memory
● Reinforced by silent speaking and imaginary sketching and examining pictures
● These happen unconsciously but can be made conscious
Types of Memory (1)
● Recognition: I've seen that before; choosing from a list
● Recall: bring back something learned
Types of Memory (2)
● Topographic – orienting in space and with maps● Explicit or Declarative – facts and experiences
– Conscious recall
– Semantic: facts independent of context
– Episodic: related to a particular event, time, place. Includes “flashbulb memories”
– Visual: mental images
Types of Memory (2)
● Implicit or Procedural – Not conscious
– Actions, motor skills and sequences; habits
– Habituation and sensitization
– Not verbal
– Involves cerebellum and basal ganglia
Types of Memory (3)
● Retrospective – looking back at the past● Prospective – looking forward, “remembering to
remember”– Time-based (degrades with age)
– Event-based
Memories are constructed
● Recalling a memory makes it easier to recall again
● Misinformation effect (what you remember depends on how you were asked)
● Construction of false memories
Memory Failures
● Transience – memories are stored, then lost before they're ever retrieved
● Absentmindedness – lack of attention causes memories to not be stored
● Injuries● Diseases (Alzheimer's, Parkinson's)● Mental illness (chemical imbalance)
What improves memory?
● Emotion, especially fear– Amygdala
– PTSD
● Excitement (more adrenaline and cortisol)● Sleep● Exercise (changes neurotransmitter levels,
stimulates the hippocampus)● Place and odor effects● Priming
Techniques to improve memory(1)
● Organization – make categories● Distinctiveness – say or spell out loud● Effort – people remember harder problems
better● Elaboration – recall is better with longer and
more complex descriptions
Techniques to improve memory(2)
● Repetition (rote learning)● “rehearsal spacing” - keep working with the
material over a period of time● Zeigarnik effect – you remember uncompleted
tasks better than completed ones● Method of loci or memory palace
Let's do some Experiments
● neuroscience.uth.tmc.edu/s4/chapter07.html● https://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/chmemory.html● http://www.psychologistworld.com/memory/test2.php● Selective attention:
http://www.simplypsychology.org/eyewitness-testimony.html
Learning
● Learning is the act of acquiring new, or modifying and reinforcing, existing knowledge, behaviors, skills, values, or preferences and may involve synthesizing different types of information.
● Progress over time tends to follow learning curves.
Learning
● Learning is not compulsory; it is contextual. It does not happen all at once, but builds upon and is shaped by what we already know. To that end, learning may be viewed as a process, rather than a collection of factual and procedural knowledge. Learning produces changes in the organism and the changes produced are relatively permanent.
Learning
● Requires time and brain complexity● When selected for?
– need for flexibility in behavior
– Worthwhile to remember and re-use strategies
– When learning can be passed on
In general, when an investment of work and time saves work and time, opens opportunities or avoids risk, in the future
Learning
● Cognitive – recall, calculate, discuss, analyze, construct
● Psychomotor – movement skills – dance, swim, drive, ride a bike
● Affective – to learn to like or dislike, enjoy, appreciate, fear, etc.
Non-Associative Learning
● Habituation (you get used to something) – less response over time
● Sensitization – more response over time
Associative Learning
● Conditioning – strengthens a stimulus-response connection
● Operant conditioning – consequences of behavior (reward/punishment)
Play – mammals and birds
● Functional (repetition)● Role play● Rule-based play● Construction play● Movement play
All play builds creativity and problem-solving abilities. Some builds social skills.
Learning your culture
● Language● Modes of behavior● Customs● How to fit in ● From parents, adults, peers
Learning can be...
● Formal (education) or informal● Tangential (one thing leads to pursuing
something else)● Active or passive● Solitary or social
Combined approaches: puzzle
● Directions● Hints● Reasoning; strategic thinking● Practice● Conversation (dialog)● Revisiting