Deck 13: The Biology of Learning and Memory

Question 1

Impaired arousal and attention in Alzheimer's patients is largely due to damage to the basal forebrain.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

The UCR and the CR are always the same.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Punishment makes it less likely for a behavior to occur again in the future.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Procedural memory deals with the ability to state a memory in words.

Question 5

A common test of working memory is the delayed response task.

Question 6

Information in short term memory is lost more easily than long term memory.

Question 7

The genes controlling early-onset Alzheimer's disease cause a protein called amyloid-?

Question 8

To replace the concept of short-term memory, A. D. Baddeley and G. J. Hitch introduced the term delayed memory to refer to the way we store information while we are working at it.

Question 9

Korsakoff's patients perform better on tasks of implicit memory than explicit memory.

Question 10

A distinctive symptom of Korsakoff's syndrome is confabulation, in which patients guess to fill in memory gaps.

Question 11

Eye-blink conditioning depends on the lateral interpositus nucleus.

Question 12

Lashley was able to determine that the frontal lobe cortex is more important for memories than the parietal lobe cortex.

Question 13

In operant conditioning, an individual's response leads to a reinforcer or punishment.

Question 14

Hippocampal damage impairs spatial memory.

Question 15

H.M. was unable to form any kind of new memories after his surgery.

Question 16

H. M. had particularly severe impairment of episodic memories, or memories of single events.

Question 17

Alzheimer's patients have better explicit memory than implicit memory.

Question 18

Thiamine is necessary for the proper metabolism of glucose.

Question 19

The lateral interpositus nucleus in the cerebellum is essential for learning.

Question 20

In searching for the engram, Karl Lashley found that removal of larger areas of cortex resulted in the greatest impairment of memory.

Question 21

Operant conditioning is to ____ as classical conditioning is to ____.

A) reinforcement; punishment
B) CS; UCS
C) association; consequences
D) consequences; association

Question 22

In operant conditioning, reinforcement is:

A) any food that the organism likes.
B) a stimulus that produces a reflexive response.
C) an event that decreases the future probability of a response.
D) an event that increases the future probability of a response.

Question 23

In Pavlov's experiments, he presented a sound followed by meat. Gradually the sound came to elicit salivation. The salivation to the meat in this experiment was the:

A) unconditioned stimulus.
B) unconditioned response.
C) conditioned stimulus.
D) conditioned response.

Question 24

Lashley's term "engram" refers to:

A) a drug that facilitates learning.
B) the physical representation of learning.
C) a procedure that improved memory.
D) an automatic response to a sensory stimulus.

Question 25

Sensitization is the opposite of habituation.

Question 26

Giving a dolphin a treat when it does a summersault would be considered a(n):

A) reinforcement.
B) punishment.
C) unconditioned response.
D) conditioned response.

Question 27

Which of the following is hardest to classify as classical or operant conditioning?

A) pressing a lever to get food
B) pressing a lever to escape shock
C) salivating after a sound previously paired with food
D) song learning by male birds

Question 28

Lashley trained rats on a variety of mazes, then made deep cuts in their cortexes. He found that the cuts produced:

A) a temporary impairment.
B) a permanent impairment.
C) day-to-day fluctuations in performance.
D) little apparent effect.

Question 29

Drugs used to treat Alzheimer's disease affect activity of the cortex by enhancing the effects of acetylcholine.

Question 30

Karl Lashley called the physical basis of learning a(n):

A) amyloid.
B) engram.
C) plaque.
D) synapse.

Question 31

What should be the usual relationship between the conditioned stimulus and the unconditioned stimulus in classical conditioning?

A) The conditioned stimulus should be presented first.
B) The unconditioned stimulus should be presented first.
C) They should be presented simultaneously.
D) It depends on what each stimulus is.

Question 32

Pavlov believed that classical conditioning reflected a strengthened connection between two brain areas that were activated by:

A) reinforcement and punishment.
B) the response and a consequence.
C) the UCS and UCR.
D) the CS and UCS.

Question 33

In operant conditioning, punishment is:

A) a stimulus that produces a reflexive response.
B) an event that decreases the future probability of a response.
C) an event that increases the future probability of a response.
D) an event that prevents a response.

Question 34

Lashley found that a deep cut in a rat's cerebral cortex completely eliminated the effects of learning under what circumstances, if any?

A) if the cut was made after the learning
B) if the learned task was simple
C) if the learned task was complex
D) under none of the circumstances he studied

Question 35

After LTP is established, NMDA receptors are not required to maintain it.

Question 36

In Pavlov's experiments, he presented a sound followed by meat. Gradually the sound came to elicit salivation. The meat in this experiment was the:

A) unconditioned stimulus.
B) unconditioned response.
C) conditioned stimulus.
D) conditioned response.

Question 37

In his search for the engram, Lashley was testing:

A) Pavlov's view of classical conditioning.
B) Skinner's view of operant conditioning.
C) Garcia's view of taste aversion learning.
D) Bandura's view of social learning.

Question 38

Habituation is a decrease in response to a stimulus that is presented repeatedly and accompanied by no change in other stimuli.

Question 39

In Pavlov's experiments, he presented a sound followed by meat. Gradually the sound came to elicit salivation. The salivation to the sound in this experiment was the:

A) unconditioned stimulus.
B) unconditioned response.
C) conditioned stimulus.
D) conditioned response.

Question 40

In Pavlov's experiments he presented a sound followed by meat. Gradually the sound came to elicit salivation. The sound in this experiment would be considered the:

A) unconditioned stimulus.
B) unconditioned response.
C) conditioned stimulus.
D) conditioned response.

Question 41

Lashley's conclusions from his engram research were based on certain unnecessary assumptions, which later psychologists have discarded. One of those assumptions was that the:

A) cerebral cortex is the best or only place to search for an engram.
B) left hemisphere of the brain is simply the mirror image of the right hemisphere. .
C) physiological mechanisms of learning in rats are similar to those in humans.
D) hippocampus is more important for storage than it is for retrieval.

Question 42

The cortex works as a whole, and the more cortex the better, defines:

A) operant conditioning.
B) classical conditioning.
C) equipotentiality.
D) mass action.

Question 43

Which of the following is one of the reasons that Lashley failed at finding the engram?

A) He used poor surgical methods.
B) Some memories do not depend on the cortex.
C) The engram is continually changing location in the cortex.
D) Classical conditioning had not been discovered yet.

Question 44

If the lateral interpositus nucleus is temporarily suppressed during classical conditioning of the eyeblink response, what happens?

A) After the nucleus recovers, the animal remembers the training fully.
B) Future conditioning occurs as if the animal had no previous training.
C) After the nucleus recovers, the animal learns more slowly than usual.
D) Future conditioning occurs rapidly, but the animal also forgets rapidly.

Question 45

Research indicates that the red nucleus is necessary for:

A) the learning of a conditioned response.
B) the performance of a conditioned response.
C) the learning AND performance of a conditioned response.
D) suppression of the conditioned response.

Question 46

Preventing learning is to ____ as suppressing a response is to ____.

A) classical conditioning; operant conditioning
B) operant conditioning; classical conditioning
C) the red nucleus; the lateral interpositus nucleus
D) the lateral interpositus nucleus; the red nucleus

Question 47

In studies of eyelid conditioning in rabbits, Thompson and his colleagues have demonstrated that learning for this conditioned response takes place in the:

A) red nucleus of the midbrain.
B) temporal lobe of the cerebral cortex.
C) lateral interpositus nucleus of the cerebellum.
D) ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus.

Question 48

Lashley's conclusions from his engram research were based on certain unnecessary assumptions, which later psychologists have discarded. One of those assumptions was that the:

A) brain treats all kinds of memory the same way.
B) left hemisphere of the brain is simply the mirror image of the right hemisphere.
C) physiological mechanisms of learning in rats are similar to those in humans.
D) hippocampus is more important for storage than it is for retrieval.

Question 49

While studying classical conditioning of the eyelid response in rabbits, investigators suppress the activity of the red nucleus. What results will occur?

A) That procedure will not interfere with learning.
B) Learning will not occur.
C) The response will not occur, but later testing will reveal that learning occurred.
D) The rabbit will show immediate evidence of learning, but it will forget rapidly.

Question 50

Thompson identified one nucleus of the cerebellum, the ____, as essential for learning.

A) anterior nucleus
B) fastigial nucleus
C) red nucleus
D) lateral interpositus nucleus

Question 51

Lashley found that when he removed parts of the brain:

A) only the removal of frontal lobe tissue disrupted performance.
B) only the removal of parietal lobe tissue disrupted performance.
C) the amount of tissue removed was more important than its location.
D) he found no loss of memories at all.

Question 52

Recent researchers have felt that Lashley's conclusions about the results of his search for the engram reflected some inappropriate assumptions. One of those assumptions was that:

A) memory involves a physical change in the nervous system.
B) that all kinds of memory are physiologically the same.
C) more than one kind of memory exists.
D) different memories involve different sets of neurons.

Question 53

The cerebellum's role in memories may be limited to what kind of learning or memory?

A) language learning
B) imprinting
C) classical conditioning
D) operant conditioning

Question 54

"All parts of the cortex contribute equally to complex behaviors such as learning" defines:

A) operant conditioning.
B) classical conditioning.
C) equipotentiality.
D) mass action.

Question 55

Short-term memory may be characterized as:

A) having a limited capacity.
B) having an unlimited capacity.
C) elaborative in nature.
D) rehearsal free.

Question 56

Which of the following is one of the reasons that Lashley failed at finding the engram?

A) He used poor surgical methods.
B) Not all memories are physiologically the same.
C) The engram is continually changing location in the cortex.
D) Classical conditioning had not been discovered yet.

Question 57

In studies that paired a tone with an air puff to the cornea of rabbits, learning was found to depend on one nucleus of the:

A) cerebellum.
B) hypothalamus.
C) thalamus.
D) hippocampus.

Question 58

A person with damage to their cerebellum may experience several problems, including:

A) poor eyesight.
B) inability to be classically conditioned.
C) weakened conditioned eye blinks.
D) exaggerated eye blinking.

Question 59

Recent researchers have felt that Lashley's conclusions about the results of his search for the engram reflected some inappropriate assumptions. One of those assumptions was that:

A) memory involves a physical change in the nervous system.
B) all kinds of memory are physiologically the same.
C) more than one kind of memory exists.
D) different memories change different sets of neurons.

Question 60

Donald Hebb (1949) distinguished between two types of memory that he called

A) implicit and explicit.
B) declarative and procedural.
C) short-term and long-term.
D) repressed and unrepressed

Question 61

Studies on ____ help clarify the distinctions among different kinds of memory and enable us to explore the mechanisms of memory.

A) dementia
B) amnesia
C) epilepsy
D) stroke

Question 62

The delayed response task requires responding to something that you saw or heard ____.

A) in the distant past
B) a short while ago
C) right at that time
D) in a meaningful way

Question 63

Which brain area is active in monkeys during a delay when they have to remember the location of a light and look there only after a several-second delay?

A) cerebellum
B) the prefrontal cortex
C) the occipital lobes
D) ventromedial hypothalamus

Question 64

H.M. was able to learn and remember:

A) people's names.
B) how to find his way to a new residence.
C) skills like mazes and puzzles.
D) events in recent history.

Question 65

The general function of working memory is to:

A) hold information until it has time to get to long-term storage.
B) store memories of life events permanently.
C) attend to and operate on current information.
D) store information related to repetitious motor movements.

Question 66

Forgetting events prior to the time of brain damage is a characteristic of ____ amnesia.

A) retrograde
B) anterograde
C) proactive
D) procedural

Question 67

Compared to young adults, aging humans with poor working memory have ____ activity in the prefrontal cortex and aging humans with intact working memory have ____ activity in the prefrontal cortex.

A) decreased, decreased
B) increased, increased
C) increased, decreased
D) decreased, increased

Question 68

The patient H.M., who had major surgery for severe epilepsy in 1953, suffered a severe difficulty in remembering events:

A) in working memory.
B) during or after 1953.
C) long before 1953.
D) of his childhood.

Question 69

Which of the following drug types is most promising for treating people with failing memory?

A) Tranquilizers
B) Endorphins
C) Depressants
D) Stimulants

Question 70

Hebb believed that short-term memory:

A) should not be distinguished from long-term memory.
B) was a temporary holding station on the way to long-term memory.
C) was more important than long-term memory.
D) was low-level memory.

Question 71

According to Baddeley and Hitch, a common test of working memory is the:

A) delayed response task
B) reconsolidation task
C) consolidation task
D) working memory task

Question 72

After his surgery, H.M. had the most difficulty with:

A) learning new procedural tasks.
B) remembering events long before the surgery.
C) being able to define new English words.
D) IQ tests.

Question 73

Anterograde amnesia is to ____ as retrograde amnesia is to ____.

A) storing new memories; memories of the past
B) memories just prior to the damage; memories from childhood
C) short-term memory; long-term memory
D) emotional memories; non-emotional memories

Question 74

Donald Hebb distinguished between two kinds of memory because he could not imagine how a single kind of brain change could be both:

A) axonal and synaptic.
B) cognitive and muscular.
C) positive and negative.
D) quick and permanent.

Question 75

A peculiarity of the memory of the neurological patient H.M. was that he was able to:

A) retain new skills but not remember having learned them.
B) form new long-term memories but not short-term memories.
C) find his way to a new residence.
D) remember people's names but not which name went with which person.

Question 76

The patient H.M. suffered severe memory disorders following a surgical operation that removed the:

A) corpus callosum.
B) hippocampus.
C) lateral interpositus nucleus and hypothalamus.
D) prefrontal cortex and dorsomedial thalamus.

Question 77

One would most accurately describe H.M.'s memory problems as the inability to form:

A) short-term memories.
B) new implicit memories.
C) new episodic memories.
D) new procedural memories.

Question 78

Retrograde amnesia is to ____ as anterograde amnesia is to ____.

A) temporary loss of memory; permanent loss of memory
B) loss of short-term memory; loss of long-term memory
C) inability to form new memories; loss of memory for old events
D) loss of memory for old events; inability to form new memories

Question 79

The inability to form memories for events that happened after brain damage is a characteristic of ____ amnesia.

A) retrograde
B) anterograde
C) proactive
D) procedural

Question 80

Researchers proposed that all information initially entered a short-term storage, where it stayed until the brain had time to ____ it into long-term memory.

A) transpose
B) rehearse
C) consolidate
D) transfer