PSY 120 Lecture Notes - Hebbian Theory, Prefrontal Cortex, Cerebral Cortex
Document Summary
Forming a memory involves chemical and structural changes at the level of the neuron: long-term potentiating: a long-lasting increase in the strength of synaptic responsiveness. Reflects hebbian learning ideas; may involve glutamate. Hebb"s idea: linked memory consolidation: process by which the synaptic changes associated with recently stored memories become durable and stable, causing memoires to be more reliable. Hormones released adrenal glands during stress and emotional arousal enhance memory: combined effort of epinephrine and glucose may play a key role. Crosses the blood brain barrier easier than adrenalin: research on sweet memories . Moderate levels of stress hormones optimal: animals studies demonstrate that too much impairs memory. Automatic encoding: accurate encoding that takes place automatically, without effort. Effortful encoding: to retain complex information, you might have to selected the main pints, label concepts, or associate the information with personal experiences or material you already know: rehearsal. Maintenance rehearsal: rote repetition of material to maintain availability.
