Chapters 7 & 8: Learning & Memory

What the heck is Learning anyhow?

How would you define learning?

How does it happen?

Classical Conditioning1. Who has heard of this before?

What do you know about it?

2. Psychologists consider conditioning to be one of the most basic forms of learning

3. However, Pavlov, the researcher who discovered classical conditioning was not a psychologist

Pavlov & the Mutts1. He was originally interested in the

physiology of digestion Started noticing that animals

experienced ‘psychic salivation’

2. From this observation came his most famous contribution to science: classical conditioning

Conditioning Simplified The unconditioned stimulus (UCS) is the

thing that evokes the unconditioned response (UCR) UCS = food UCR = is the natural response the animal

has to the UCS = drooling

Pairing the conditioned stimulus (CS) and the UCR CS = tone Tone + drooling

The switch of the UCR to the CR = animal drools in response to the tone

More conditioning terminology

1. Acquisition

2. Extinction

3. Spontaneous recovery

Generalization and Discrimination

1. Generalization

2. Discrimination

Does Conditioning Work in Humans?

Flu and what you last ate Cancer patients & their treatment

rooms Drug use Therapy

Operant Conditioning1. What is it?

B.F. Skinner is the father of operant conditioning

Skinner’s Tools1. Unlike Watson, Skinner concentrated on

animal behavior in his research

2. To do his research he built chambers called operant chambers or Skinner boxes

Skinner Box

How did these boxes shape behavior?

1. What was used as the reward?

2. What was the punishment?

3. What was the operant behavior?

Properties of Reinforcing Stimuli

1. Primary reinforcers2. Secondary reinforcers3. Timing of reinforcement

More about timing: Schedules of Reinforcement

1. Continuous reinforcement

2. Partial reinforcement1. Fixed ratio2. Variable ratio3. Fixed interval4. Variable interval

Punishment1. Punishment is an adverse

consequence that reduces the likelihood that a behavior will recur

2. There are two kinds of punishment:1. Positive punishment2. Negative punishment Examples?

Operant Conditioning and Parenting

1. Do you have any thoughts on how parents can use reinforcement and punishment to shape their kids’ behavior?

2. What are the most effective techniques?

3. You MUST use a combination of both, not just reinforcement or punishment alone

Observational Learning1. I bet you can guess what this

means…

2. Watching and imitating modeling

3. Memes • what are some examples?

Biological Basis of Observation

1. In the frontal lobe of the brain, you have a group of neurons called ‘mirror neurons’

2. These neurons don’t just help us learn, they also help us feel empathy

Albert Bandura1. Bandura is the father of social

learning theory

2. He says we are likely to imitate the people around us, especially those we see as either similar to ourselves or as successful/admirable

3. The famous Bobo experiment

Learning Disabilities There are 4 general types of

learning disabilities What are some learning disabilities

that you guys know about?

Memory1. How would you define it?

2. What is it’s relationship to learning?

3. The three steps of memory

Types of Memory1. Flashbulb memories2. Sensory memory3. Short-term/Working memory4. Long-term memory

Types of Memory continued…

5. Explicit (declarative) memory

6. Implicit (procedural) memory

Examples of each kind of Memory

1. Where were you and what were you doing when you learned about the attacks of 9-11?

2. Conversation: What did I just say??

3. Close your eyes and remember these numbers (in order)…

4. Long-term memory – we all know what this is

5. Riding a bike

Encoding1. How do we get information into our

brains?2. Automatic processing3. Effortful processing

‘Rules’ of Encoding1. Spacing effect2. Serial position effect3. Bad at encoding right before sleep,

doesn’t happen during sleep

More about Encoding1. We have an easier time encoding

information that has meaning

2. We are much better at encoding and recalling images than information

3. We remember organized material more easily than unorganized info

Ways we Organize1. Mnemonics

2. Chunking

3. Hierarchies

Brain Areas Important for Memory

1. Lashley & the engram Cerebellum, not cortex for

association/conditioning But cortex IS important for long-term

memory storage

2. The other big ‘name’ in memory is a structure in the limbic system: the hippocampus

What about us?1. We know that memory seems to

occur at the synapse.

2. We call lasting changes in the synapse long-term potentiation (LTP)

Retrieval1. Recall vs. Recognition – what is the

difference?

2. Exposure to one stimulus can increase the speed with which we can retrieve other information

This is called priming - Let’s try an example

The effect of mood1. We have what is called mood-

congruent memory Any guesses as to what this means?

The effect of context1. We often associate material that we

learn with the environment where we learn it

Ex. Switching seats for an exam

2. Also, you may have had the experience of being flooded with memories when going to a certain place

3. Some researchers believe context effects explain the déjà vu phenomenon

Amnesia1. Amnesia – means memory loss.

There are two kinds: Retrograde amnesia Anterograde amnesia

2. Damage to the hippocampus can result in both kinds of amnesia

3. Anterograde amnesia video

The case of H.M.1. H.M. was a patient suffering from

severe epilepsy

2. His hippocampus was removed as treatment

3. His memory was severely impaired, especially bad anterograde amnesia

4. His short-term/working memory & procedural/implicit memory abilities are somewhat intact

What H.M.’s Brain Looked Like

Korsakoff’s Syndrome1. This syndrome results from

prolonged and severe thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiency

Usually the result of severe alcoholism

2. Results in both kinds of amnesia, apathy, confusion

3. Confabulation is a hallmark symptom

Brain Damage from Alcoholism

Alzheimer’s Disease1. Progressive memory loss with eventual

depression, hallucinations/delusions, sleeplessness and loss of appetite

2. Caused by generation of plaques and tangles in the brain

Plaques are build up between cells caused by cell death

Tangles are caused by degradation of structures within a cell

Alzheimer's video

Alzheimer’s Brains