Deck 17: Learning and Memory

Question 1

The difference between anterograde amnesia and retrograde amnesia is

A) retrograde amnesia is usually complete, whereas anterograde amnesia usually affects only hours or days before an accident.
B) anterograde amnesia is the inability to remember things that happened before the brain damage, whereas retrograde amnesia is the inability to acquire new skills after an injury.
C) retrograde amnesia can affect memories that were formed up to a year before an injury, whereas anterograde amnesia can affect memory formation after an injury.
D) retrograde amnesia affects autobiographical memories, whereas anterograde amnesia does not.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Which statement explains a difference between H.M.'s symptoms and those typical of Korsakoff's syndrome?

A) H.M. had anterograde amnesia.
B) H.M. had retrograde amnesia.
C) People with Korsakoff's syndrome confabulate.
D) People with Korsakoff's syndrome can learn new procedural skills.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Refer to the figure.
H.M.'s performance on the memory task represented by the figure demonstrated that

A) he was incapable of acquiring any new memories.
B) there are two basic kinds of memory: episodic and semantic.
C) he could confabulate to cover for his deficits.
D) there are two different kinds of memory: procedural and declarative.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Research on patient H.M. and others with similar brain damage confirmed that there are two types of memory, distinguishable as

A) shape recognition versus word recognition.
B) declarative versus procedural.
C) semantic versus episodic.
D) mirror reading versus mirror-tracing.

Question 5

Bilateral damage to the medial temporal lobes may lead to severe

A) prosopagnosia.
B) anterograde amnesia.
C) retrograde amnesia.
D) episodic amnesia.

Question 6

Which brain damage would not be associated with an inability to form declarative memories?

A) Bilateral surgical damage to the hippocampi
B) Damage to the basal forebrain regions, including the hippocampi, from rupture of the anterior cerebral arteries
C) Damage to the anterior cerebral cortex
D) Destruction of tissue in medial temporal lobe by a virus

Question 7

H.M.'s operation bilaterally removed not only the hippocampus but also the

A) dorsomedial thalamus.
B) mammillary bodies.
C) temporal stem.
D) amygdala.

Question 8

The delayed non-matching-to-sample test is a measure of _______ memory.

A) object recognition
B) spatial location
C) perceptual skill
D) verbal

Question 9

An alcoholic has memory problems, but an fMRI shows no damage to the medial temporal lobes. When asked if the patient remembers hitting his head, he says that it happened when he was on a shuttle mission to Jupiter. This person probably has damage in the

A) basal frontal lobes.
B) mammillary bodies.
C) dorsomedial thalamus.
D) All of the above

Question 10

The main cause of Korsakoff's syndrome is

A) lack of thiamine.
B) encephalitis.
C) syphilis.
D) concussion.

Question 11

A major site of damage in Korsakoff's syndrome is the

A) ventromedial hypothalamus.
B) hippocampus.
C) amygdala.
D) mammillary bodies.

Question 12

Confabulation is a symptom of

A) Alzheimer's disease.
B) amnesia caused by ischemia.
C) Korsakoff's disease.
D) Huntington's disease.

Question 13

Episodic memory concerns

A) general knowledge.
B) nondeclarative information.
C) semantic information.
D) autobiographical information.

Question 14

Patient K.C. suffered a complete loss of _______ memory.

A) short-term
B) semantic
C) nondeclarative
D) episodic

Question 15

Comparative studies suggest that the inability to retrieve memories of events, as experienced by patient K.C., is probably due to damage to the

A) hippocampus.
B) mammillary bodies.
C) cortex.
D) amygdala.

Question 16

Which statement about memory is true?

A) Instrumental conditioning, in which an animal learns to press a lever to get food, is a type of nondeclarative memory.
B) Priming, in which prior exposure to a similar stimulus changes the processing of a particular stimulus, is a type of declarative memory.
C) Patient K.C.'s inability to remember episodic memories is an example of impaired nondeclarative memory.
D) The delayed non-matching-to-sample task tests an animal's nondeclarative memory.

Question 17

In instrumental conditioning, an association is formed between an animal's behavior and

A) the environmental context.
B) the unconditioned response.
C) its consequences.
D) several attributes.

Question 18

Studies indicate that the learning of sensorimotor skills, perceptual skills, and cognitive skills are all impaired by lesions that include the

A) basal ganglia.
B) temporal cortex.
C) hippocampus.
D) amygdala.

Question 19

Entorhinal neurons that fire selectively when an animal crosses the intersection points of an abstract map of the local environment are _______ cells.

A) place
B) border
C) grid
D) intersection

Question 20

Imaging studies indicate that the _______ play(s) an important role in learning sensorimotor skills.

A) temporal lobes
B) dorsomedial thalamus
C) amygdala
D) motor cortex

Question 21

Differences in the size of the hippocampus between closely related species of kangaroo rats are believed to be related to species differences in

A) mating systems.
B) nest defense.
C) spatial memory.
D) sex hormone levels.

Question 22

Studies of homing pigeons suggest that memory for spatial location is related especially to the

A) amygdala.
B) caudate nucleus.
C) hippocampus.
D) extrastriate visual cortex.

Question 23

Experiments involving rats solving mazes have demonstrated the concept of

A) cognitive maps.
B) instrumental learning.
C) cell assemblies.
D) iconic memory.

Question 24

Strains of pigeons bred for superior homing ability have larger _______ than other pigeons.

A) mammillary bodies
B) testes
C) optic tecta
D) hippocampi

Question 25

After making a very familiar trip, you realize you've gotten to where you were going with no memory of the drive. This is probably because

A) what you saw was stored in sensory buffers.
B) you have early-onset Alzheimer's.
C) you are experiencing early symptoms of Korsakoff's syndrome.
D) all that you saw was already in long-term memory.

Question 26

Which memory store holds the largest number of items?

A) Iconic memory
B) Short-term memory
C) Intermediate-term memory
D) Long-term memory

Question 27

It appears that the medial temporal system is not required for

A) shorter-term memories.
B) longer-term memories.
C) emotional attributes of memory.
D) All of the above require the medial temporal system.

Question 28

It has been proposed that PTSD can be reduced or eliminated by administering drugs to

A) accelerate forgetting.
B) inhibit behavioral sensitization.
C) reduce frontal lobe activity.
D) block the effects of emotional stress on memory.

Question 29

Emotional modulation of memory formation has been shown to be mediated by the

A) amygdala.
B) caudate nucleus.
C) hippocampal formation.
D) septum.

Question 30

The eight-arm radial maze is used primarily for tests of

A) response recognition memory.
B) object recognition memory.
C) spatial learning and memory.
D) latent learning.

Question 31

Evidence indicates that working memory for object recognition is related especially to the

A) amygdala.
B) caudate nucleus.
C) hippocampus.
D) extrastriate visual cortex.

Question 32

The amygdala is directly involved in

A) spatial location learning.
B) fear conditioning.
C) eye-lid conditioning.
D) skill learning.

Question 33

When lesioned rats are tested in mazes, hippocampal lesioned rats are impaired in tests of _______ recognition memory.

A) object
B) response
C) spatial-location
D) all types of

Question 34

Refer to the figure.
Which answer correctly labels the working memory stage in the figure?

A) I
B) II
C) III
D) IV

Question 35

Refer to the figure.
Which answer correctly labels the current model of memory processes?

A) I: Sensory buffers; II: Consolidation; III: STM; IV: Encoding; V: Retrieval; VI: LTM
B) I: Encoding; II: Working memory; III: STM; IV: Retrieval; V: Consolidation; VI: LTM
C) I: Sensory buffers; II: Incoming information; III: STM; IV: Consolidation; V: Retrieval; VI: LTM
D) I: Iconic memory; II: Encoding; III: STM; IV: Consolidation; V: Retrieval; VI: LTM

Question 36

Reconsolidation

A) is the process in which memories become unstable.
B) is the process during which memories become plastic and can be updated and strengthened.
C) always results in errors in the retrieved memory.
D) of stored information can strengthen a memory.

Question 37

Refer to the figure.
What kind of neuronal change is illustrated by the figure?

A) Synapse rearrangement
B) Synapse formation
C) Interneuron modulation
D) Transmitter modification

Question 38

Evidence of the effect of an enriched experience on the rat brain is

A) fewer dendritic terminals.
B) increased dendritic branching.
C) more oblique dendrites.
D) apical dominance among dendrites.

Question 39

The increase of cortical thickness with enriched experience is probably mainly due to the increased

A) size of synaptic junctions.
B) number of dendritic spines.
C) branching of dendrites.
D) fluid content of cortical tissue.

Question 40

In humans, eye-blink conditioning is associated with increased activity of the

A) cerebellum.
B) hippocampus.
C) ventral striatum.
D) All of the above

Question 41

Which set of structures makes up the circuit for the conditioned eye-blink response in the rabbit?

A) Interpositus nucleus, mossy fibers, parietal lobe
B) Superior colliculus, interpositus nucleus, mossy fibers
C) Inferior olive, interpositus nucleus, climbing fibers
D) Mossy fibers, superior colliculus, climbing fibers

Question 42

Synaptic plasticity in eye-blink conditioning most likely occurs in the

A) parallel fiber-Purkinje cell synapses.
B) climbing fiber-Purkinje cell synapses.
C) interpositus nucleus.
D) cingulate cortex.

Question 43

Basic eye-blink conditioning requires an intact

A) hippocampus.
B) interpositus nucleus.
C) visual cortex.
D) temporal lobe.

Question 44

According to Hebb's notion of cell assemblies, information can be stored by groups of neurons that are

A) activated simultaneously or in close succession.
B) located in the same region of the brain.
C) negatively charged.
D) All of the above

Question 45

Main inputs to the hippocampal formation come via the

A) mossy fibers.
B) perforant pathway.
C) subiculum.
D) Shaffer collaterals.

Question 46

The perforant pathway projects from the entorhinal cortex to the

A) Ammon's horn.
B) dentate gyrus.
C) hilar region.
D) subiculum.

Question 47

Axons from CA3 projecting to CA1 are called

A) mossy fibers.
B) Schaffer collaterals.
C) climbing fibers.
D) the perforant pathway.

Question 48

In the hippocampus, commissural fibers carry information from the

A) entorhinal cortex.
B) subiculum.
C) other hippocampus.
D) cerebellum.

Question 49

In the experiments of Liu and colleagues, mice were genetically modified so that active neurons in the dentate gyrus (DG) produced channelrhodopsin, a protein that would excite those cells when exposed to blue light. The rats were then subjected to fear conditioning and were observed to give a fear response (freezing) in the aversive environment. When they were tested in a familiar, nonthreatening environment, these mice

A) froze when the DG neurons were activated by blue light.
B) froze at all times.
C) did not show any fear responses when DG neurons were activated by blue light.
D) never froze.

Question 50

Suppose that researchers genetically modified mice such that dentate gyrus (DG) neurons would turn off in response to yellow light. If those mice were subjected to fear conditioning only in one context (context A) but not another (context B), which of the following would be true?

A) Mice in context A would never show a fear response.
B) Mice in context B would show a fear response when the DG was exposed to yellow light.
C) Mice in context A would not show a fear response when the DG was exposed to yellow light.
D) Mice moved from context A to context B would show a fear response.

Question 51

At the center of the NMDA receptor is a _______ channel.

A) Ca²⁺
B) Na⁺
C) Cl^-
D) K⁺

Question 52

In the formation of LTP, the entry of Ca²⁺ ions into the neuron activates _______, which are enzymes that _______ the activity of intracellular proteins.

A) protein kinases; block
B) adenylate cyclases; block
C) protein kinases; alter
D) adenylate cyclases; alter

Question 53

The effects on LTP of drugs that inhibit protein synthesis suggest that protein synthesis is

A) not involved in LTP.
B) involved in the early stages of LTP.
C) involved in long-lasting LTP.
D) involved in both STM and LTM.

Question 54

NMDA receptors induce LTP

A) when glutamate stimulates them.
B) only if Mg²⁺ ions move.
C) by allowing Na⁺ to enter the dendritic spine.
D) by blocking CREB within the postsynaptic cell.

Question 55

In LTP formation, nitric oxide and arachidonic acid may serve as

A) synaptic transmitters.
B) inhibitors of protein synthesis.
C) synaptic modulators.
D) retrograde messengers.

Question 56

Under resting conditions, NMDA receptors are unable to respond due to the presence of _______ in their central channels.

A) Ca²⁺ ions
B) Na⁺ ions
C) Mg²⁺ ions
D) protein anions

Question 57

The most convincing evidence for a link between LTP and learning comes from

A) observations in Aplysia.
B) behavioral LTP.
C) observations in anesthetized animals.
D) long-term depression.

Question 58

Knockout mice lacking the gene for CaMKII

A) can form short-term memories but not long-term memories.
B) are unable to learn.
C) do not appear to have memory impairments.
D) can form long-term memories but not short-term memories.

Question 59

In mice, genetic deletion of CREB

A) impairs STM.
B) impairs LTM.
C) impairs STM and LTM.
D) has no effect on STM or LTM.

Question 60

Adult mice living in enriched conditions produce new neurons in the

A) cortex.
B) amygdala.
C) hypothalamus.
D) hippocampus.

Question 61

Which kinds of memory tasks usually show decrements with aging?

A) Easy tasks that do not require conscious recollection
B) Tasks that rely primarily on internal cues or generation
C) Tasks with easily organized structures
D) None of the above

Question 62

Rats raised in an enriched environment show decreased levels of _______, which is associated with reduced hippocampal damage.

A) glucocorticoids
B) CaM kinase
C) CREB
D) ampakines

Question 63

In humans, the overall weight of the brain begins to decline around age

A) 18.
B) 30.
C) 45.
D) 65.

Question 64

Which compound has been shown to be a nootropic?

A) NO
B) Propranolol
C) Donepezil
D) Magnesium supplements

Question 65

The loss of memories that were formed prior to damage to the brain is called _______.

Question 66

Memories that we are consciously aware that we are retrieving are known as _______ memories.

Question 67

When we use memory to perform a learned ability such as playing a musical instrument, we are using _______ memory.

Question 68

Patients with Korsakoff's syndrome may _______ in an attempt to conceal gaps in their memory.

Question 69

The primary site of damage in the brain of amnesic patient N.A. is the _______.

Question 70

A change in the processing of a stimulus based on prior exposure to the same or similar stimuli is referred to as _______.

Question 71

In _______ conditioning, an animal learns that a particular response to a particular stimulus is appropriate in one setting but not another.

Question 72

Three forms of nonassociative learning are habituation, dishabituation, and _______.

Question 73

The mirror-tracing task is classified as a sensorimotor skill, whereas learning to read mirror-reversed text is an example of a(n) _______ skill.

Question 74

It has been proposed that permanent storage of memories is distributed throughout regions of the _______.

Question 75

The three successive events that are necessary for recall of a past event are encoding, _______, and retrieval.

Question 76

Treatment with _______ may block emotion-related enhancement of memory.

Question 77

Eye-blink conditioning depends on the _______ nucleus.

Question 78

From the dentate gyrus, mossy fibers project to area _______.

Question 79

In mammals, the physical basis of a memory formed by learning a particular task, which is called the _______, is thought to be encoded by changes in the activity of a circuit of neurons, not just one neuron.

Question 80

LTP in area CA1 appears to depend on _______ receptors.