types of learning and memory

neuronal plasticity. neurons continually adapt to their environment by modifying their gene expression, which alters their excitability and interconnectivity with other neurons.

no

Perceptual learning enables us to identify and categorize sensory information.

false, they are retrieved unconsciously.

There are too many important contextual cues, and it is not obvious to us which ones we pay attention to or how we weigh them.

by repeatedly experiencing the same stimulus from different different contexts and identifying how it differs from related stimuli. The more we experience a stimulus, the better we get at identifying variations of it and discriminating it from other stimuli.

true. We try to make sense of it consciously by explicitly categorizing stimuli and writing precise definitions. These definitions aid perceptual learning, since they are good approximations for how the brain actually categorizes stimuli.

attention, and formal instruction helps. we can be exposed to the same foreign language every day, but it will always remain just noise if we never pay attention to it.

“show me, do this.” We might give someone a stack of photos and ask them to pull out the ones that contain the same stimulus (the same person, car, ball, etc.) that is present in another photo.

primary sensory cortices and sensory association cortices.

Motor learning enables us to make sequences of skilled movements in a coordinated manner. example: learning how to crawl, walk, throw, catch, swim, etc.

When we move, we get feedback from our muscles, proprioceptive system, vestibular system, eyes, ears, etc. This feedback allows us to identify what an effective movement feels like and looks like.

by repeatedly performing the same action. The more we perform it, the more efficient and coordinated it becomes.

true, they are retrieved unconsciously. We are largely unaware of how motor learning affects us, what we are doing differently as a result.

with practice, we see within-session learning and between-session learning. Motor skills continue to improve during periods of rest and sleep, which is thought to reflect neural network optimization and data consolidation.

attention is important. formal coaching helps. we teach motor skills through demonstration and by encouraging practice. (doing it over and over again).

we say: show me, do this.

-frontal lobe -basal ganglia -thalamus -brainstem -cerebellum -spinal cord, etc. We do not know how any of these brain regions process information, let alone how they interact.

true

sensory information that we don’t pay attention to.

as reverberating neural activity for up to a few seconds. this brief memory allows animals to process sensations after they occur. when people hear a question while distracted, they often say “what?” reflexively, before they realize that they can process what was said.

true

true

true