MCAT Psychology: Learning and Memory – Flashcards
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Operant Conditioning
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Links voluntary behaviors with consequences in an effort to alter the frequency of those behaviors.
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Positive Reinforcers
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Increase a behavior by adding a positive consequence or incentive following desired behavior
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Negative Reinforcers
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Increase the frequency of a behavior through removal of an unpleasant thing (ex: Aspirin removes pain, and therefore will be more likely to be used next time you get a headache)
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Negative Reinforcer Subcategories
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1. Escape Learning 2. Avoidance Learning
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Escape Learning
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The role of the behavior is to reduce the unpleasantness of something that already exists.
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Avoidance Learning
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Prevent the unpleasantness of something that has yet to happen.
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Positive Punishment
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Adds an unpleasant consequence to a behavior to reduce that behavior
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Negative Punishment
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Reduction of behavior when a stimulus is removed (ex: taking away a child's toys)
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Observational Learning
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Process of learning a new behavior or gaining information by watching others. Affected by mirror neurons
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Types of Sensory Memory
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1. Iconic (Visual) 2. Echoic (Auditory)
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Sensory Memory
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Fleeting. Lasts under a second
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Working Memory
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Enables us to keep a few pieces of information in our consciousness simultaneously and to manipulate that information. Involves frontal and parietal lobes.
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Two Types of Long Term Memory
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1. Implicit 2. Explicit
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Long Term Memory
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After a long time, moved from hippocampus to cerebral cortex.
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Implicit Memory
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Our skills and conditioned responses
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Explicit Memory
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Those memories that require conscious recall.
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Explicit Memory Types
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1. Semantic Memory 2. Episodic Memory
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Semantic Memory
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The facts we know
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Episodic Memory
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Our experiences
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Retrieval
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Process of demonstrating that something that has been learned has been retained. Based on PRIMING interconnected nodes of the semantic nework
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Recall
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Retrieval and statement of previously learned information.
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Recognition
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Process of merely identifying a piece of information that was previously learned. --> stronger than recall
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Acetylcholine
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A neurotransmitter that stimulates the neuromuscular junction and postganglionic neurons, and in brain for arousal, attention, motivation; principal parasympathetic neurotransmitter.
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Dopamine
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A neurotransmitter both excitatory and inhibitory involved in focus and motivation as well as maintaining smooth movements and steady posture.
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Endorphins
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Along with enkephalins, are neuromodulators (neuropeptides) that are natural painkillers.
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Epinephrine and norepinephrine
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Principal sympathetic neurotransmitters involved with fight-or-flight responses, wakefulness, and alertness; derived from tyrosine.
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Serotonin
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A neurotransmitter involved with mood, sleep, eating, and dreaming.
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GABA and Glycine
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Amino-acid derivative inhibitory neurotransmitters involved with brain "stabilization"
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Glutamate
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The major excitatory neurotransmitter.
