Deck 12: Learning and Memory

Question 1

In the prologue for the memory chapter,Patient H.M.

A) is unable to learn new information.
B) is unable to count numbers from 1 to 10.
C) is unable to speak coherent sentences.
D) suffers from a motor tic of the eye.
E) underwent surgery in 1998 to treat aphasia.

Answer 1

A
Explanation: In the prologue for the memory chapter,Patient H.M.is unable to learn new information.

Question 2

Your best friend Doogie is bitten as he tries to pet your dog.Eventually,Doogie stops petting your dog.This is an example of

A) positive reinforcement.
B) classical conditioning.
C) relational learning.
D) instrumental conditioning.
E) perceptual learning.

Answer 2

D
Explanation: Your best friend Doogie is bitten as he tries to pet your dog.Eventually,Doogie stops petting your dog.This is an example of classical conditioning.

Question 3

The primary function of perceptual learning is to

A) identify and categorize objects.
B) train a sensory system to accurately detect the location of a stimulus.
C) learn to adjust behavior according to its consequences.
D) exhibit a specific behavior in the presence of a specific stimulus.
E) make an association between two stimuli.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Relational learning involves changes in

A) connections between different regions of the sensory association cortex.
B) a motor system.
C) connections between a sensory system and a motor system.
D) a single sensory system.
E) contingencies between a response and a subsequent stimulus.

Question 5

Stimulus-response learning involves the ability to

A) learn to adjust behavior according to its consequences.
B) make an association between two stimuli.
C) identify and categorize objects.
D) exhibit a specific behavior in the presence of a specific stimulus.
E) train a sensory system to accurately detect the location of a stimulus.

Question 6

Which of the following is true of learning?

A) Learning and memory are synonymous.
B) Memories are related to the electrical activity of the brain.
C) Learning involves the modification of the nervous system by experiences.
D) Experiences are stored in the brain in separate folders, like those of a filing cabinet.
E) Learning is possible in the absence of memory.

Question 7

A bird breeder feeds her hungry,chirping chicks a diet formula after heating it in her microwave.After a few days,the chicks begin chirping when they hear the sounds of the buttons on the microwave being pushed.In this example,the conditional stimulus is the

A) taste of the formula.
B) hunger experienced by the birds.
C) chirping sound made by the chicks.
D) sounds of the microwave.
E) sense of satiation produced by the consumption of the formula.

Question 8

The key function of instrumental conditioning is to allow an organism to

A) adjust behavior according to its consequences.
B) acquire new physical skills.
C) recognize familiar objects.
D) learn new species-typical behaviors.
E) understand the relationship between stimuli.

Question 9

The key function of classical conditioning is to allow an organism to

A) adjust behavior according to its consequences.
B) acquire new physical skills.
C) recognize familiar objects.
D) learn new species-typical behaviors.
E) understand the relationship between stimuli.

Question 10

Classical conditioning is considered to be a form of

A) relational learning.
B) instrumental learning.
C) stimulus-response learning.
D) intra-modal learning.
E) perceptual learning.

Question 11

The ability to recognize a series of photos that you looked at a month ago is an example of

A) classical conditioning.
B) stimulus-response learning.
C) extinction.
D) intermodal learning.
E) perceptual learning.

Question 12

The ________ states that a weak synapse will be strengthened if its activation occurs at the same time that the postsynaptic neuron fires.

A) all-or-none principle
B) law of effect
C) perforant path hypothesis
D) Hebb rule
E) law of summation

Question 13

Your ability to recognize a series of tones as the opening to "The Star-Spangled Banner" is an instance of ________ that likely involves the ________.

A) musical learning; left hemisphere
B) perceptual learning; auditory association cortex
C) stimulus-response learning; frontal cortex
D) perceptual learning; visual association cortex
E) intermodal learning; corpus callosum

Question 14

Instrumental conditioning results from an association between

A) a weak stimulus and a strong stimulus.
B) two responses that occur at the same time.
C) motor responses and a stimulus.
D) a conditional and an unconditional stimulus.
E) a weak response and a strong response.

Question 15

In classical conditioning,an organism

A) is able to recognize objects by the sounds they make.
B) identifies and categorizes objects.
C) shows a species-typical behavior in response to a previously unimportant stimulus.
D) learns the consequences of a specific behavior.
E) forms an association between a response and a stimulus.

Question 16

Which of the following is true of motor learning?

A) Motor learning is a component of perceptual learning.
B) Motor learning involves changes in the sensory pathways.
C) Motor learning can occur in the absence of sensory feedback.
D) Motor learning is a component of stimulus-response learning.
E) Motor learning involves sensory-sensory connections.

Question 17

In instrumental conditioning,a response that produces a favorable consequence

A) weakens adjacent circuits in the brain.
B) will occur more frequently.
C) will produce a species-typical response.
D) will be immediately suppressed.
E) is said to involve the process of punishment.

Question 18

An example of relational learning is

A) practicing a golf swing repeatedly, which results in more accurate strokes.
B) salivating in response to a favorite food.
C) forming a mental map of a room based on your experience in the room.
D) recognizing a familiar stimulus.
E) recalling an event from your childhood.

Question 19

You are listening to a song on the radio while doing your homework-the phone rings,and your mother has called to tell you that your favorite uncle has died after being hit by a car.Three months later,you again hear the same song and suddenly feel very sad.In this example,the unconditional response is

A) your feelings about your uncle before he died.
B) listening to the song.
C) your feelings about the song prior to the phone call.
D) the voice of your mother.
E) feeling sad.

Question 20

The ability to recall a series of events is referred to as

A) observational learning.
B) spatial learning.
C) perceptual learning.
D) episodic learning.
E) serial memory.

Question 21

The pyramidal cells of hippocampal field CA1 are unique in that

A) axon firing results in action potentials within the dendrites.
B) the threshold of activation of the pyramidal cell is quite low.
C) the dendritic spikes are always hyperpolarizations.
D) dendrite depolarization results in action potentials in the axon.
E) these cells do not conduct action potentials.

Question 22

The primary input to the hippocampus is from the

A) granule cells of the dentate gyrus.
B) the nucleus accumbens.
C) entorhinal cortex.
D) granule cells of field CA2.
E) pyramidal cells of field CA4.

Question 23

Intense electrical stimulation of axons within the hippocampal formation results in

A) long-term potentiation of postsynaptic neurons.
B) axoaxonic inhibition of presynaptic neurons.
C) recurrent inhibition of the stimulated axons.
D) long-term potentiation of presynaptic neurons.
E) "synaptic fatigue."

Question 24

Persistence of a long-term potentiation for more than an hour requires

A) insertion of GABA receptors into the postsynaptic membrane.
B) presynaptic inhibition.
C) increased synthesis of PKM-zeta within the postsynaptic dendrite.
D) formation of new axonal spines.
E) All of the above are correct

Question 25

The NMDA receptor is unusual in that it is ________ dependent and ________ dependent.

A) ligand; ion
B) neurotransmitter; hormone
C) neurotransmitter; voltage
D) Na?; Mg2?
E) Ca2?; Cl?

Question 26

Which of the following is true of long-term potentiation (LTP)?

A) LTP is the cellular basis for episodic memory.
B) LTP occurs independent of synaptic activity.
C) LTP reflects a persistent temporal summation of postsynaptic potentials.
D) LTP can be produced in isolated hippocampal slices.
E) LTP typically lasts up to one hour.

Question 27

Which of the following is NOT true of long-term potentiation (LTP)?

A) Protein synthesis is required for persistent LTP.
B) NMDA receptors admit calcium ions when glutamate is present and the membrane is depolarized.
C) AMPA receptors are inserted into the dendritic membrane during LTP.
D) Presynaptic nitric oxide acts as a messenger on the postsynaptic membrane.
E) Glutamate is released from the axon terminal.

Question 28

Associative long-term potentiation requires ________ occur about the same time as ________.

A) binding of a transmitter to the postsynaptic neuron; the postsynaptic cell is depolarized
B) that a single electrical pulse; a recording is made of the presynaptic axon
C) that a conditional stimulus; a reinforcing stimulus
D) that a reinforcing stimulus; a response
E) that a low-frequency train of electrical pulses; the postsynaptic neuron is hyperpolarized

Question 29

The perforant pathway

A) is another name for the fornix.
B) interconnects the entorhinal cortex with the granule cells of the dentate gyrus.
C) is the major output of the hippocampus.
D) interconnects the CA2 and CA3 fields of the hippocampus.
E) interconnects the granule cells of the dentate gyrus with the amygdala.

Question 30

Long-term potentiation is associated with the movement of ________ to the ________.

A) Kappa receptors; base of dendritic spines
B) AMPA receptors; base of dendritic spines
C) AMPA receptors; tip of dendritic spines
D) NMDA receptors; base of dendritic spines
E) NMDA receptors; tip of dendritic spines

Question 31

Long-term potentiation may involve the formation of ________ within the postsynaptic dendrite which then acts on the presynaptic element to increase the release of ________.

A) nitric oxide; glutamate
B) nitrous oxide synthase; GABA
C) nitric oxide; aspartate
D) nitrous oxide synthase; glycine
E) new NMDA receptors; AMPA receptors

Question 32

Associative long-term potentiation reflects increased ________ produced by changes in ________.

A) calcium entry; NMDA receptors
B) chloride efflux; AMPA receptors
C) calcium entry; D2 receptors
D) calcium efflux; D1 receptors
E) calcium immobilization; NMDA receptors

Question 33

Receptors for ________ are involved in long-term potentiation.

A) dopamine
B) glutamate
C) acetylcholine
D) serotonin
E) GABA

Question 34

Inactivation of type II calcium calmodulin kinase would be expected to

A) promote the creation of new NMDA receptors.
B) promote the formation of new memories.
C) block the entry of calcium into the postsynaptic cell.
D) block the formation of long-term potentiation.
E) facilitate the production of long-term potentiation.

Question 35

In a typical long-term potentiation (LTP)study,a stimulating electrode is inserted into the perforant path,while a recording electrode is inserted into the dentate gyrus.LTP is produced in this preparation by delivering ________ via the stimulating electrode.

A) a long duration but low-intensity pulse
B) a single low-intensity electrical pulse
C) an electrical pulse every minute for 2-3 hours
D) a single high intensity electrical pulse
E) a burst of 100 electrical pulses in a few seconds

Question 36

Which of the following is a strong candidate to act as a retrograde messenger from the dendrite to the terminal button?

A) glutamate
B) nitric oxide
C) nitrous oxide
D) norepinephrine
E) NMDA

Question 37

The NMDA receptor controls ________ that is normally blocked by ________.

A) the input to the hippocampus; presynaptic inhibition
B) a potassium channel; magnesium ions
C) the presynaptic membrane potential; GABA
D) a calcium channel; magnesium ions
E) a chloride channel; sodium ions

Question 38

We would expect that ________ would block the induction of LTP in the hippocampus.

A) a drug that blocks NMDA receptors
B) using high-frequency electrical pulses
C) a drug that inactivates NMDA receptors
D) injection into the presynaptic cell of a drug that induces calcium release
E) a drug that blocks GABA receptors

Question 39

An action potential that occurs in a dendritic branch after an action potential in a pyramidal cell is termed

A) an axon potential.
B) the dendritic spike.
C) a population postsynaptic potential.
D) the perforant potential.
E) a presynaptic potential.

Question 40

The increase in synaptic strength that occurs in long-term potentiation is due to a physical modification of the synapse to include

A) more postsynaptic NMDA receptors.
B) more postsynaptic AMPA receptors.
C) fewer synaptic connections.
D) more postsynaptic GABA contacts.
E) fewer presynaptic GABA contacts.

Question 41

The notion that learning a conditioned emotional response to a tone involves long-term potentiation is supported by studies in which

A) cells of the amygdala do not show evidence of long-term potentiation.
B) electrical stimulation of neurons that project to the amygdala produces less overall neural firing in the amygdala.
C) a drug that blocks the NMDA receptor blocks CER learning.
D) activation of NMDA receptors impairs CER learning.
E) few NMDA receptors are found in the amygdala.

Question 42

The ventral stream of the visual association cortex continues into the ________ and carries information relating to ________.

A) primary visual cortex; object shape and color
B) posterior parietal cortex; object location
C) posterior parietal cortex; object recognition
D) inferior temporal cortex; object recognition
E) inferior temporal cortex; object location

Question 43

Which pathway below connects the ventral tegmental area with the nucleus accumbens?

A) the corticofugal system
B) the mesolimbic system
C) the nigrostriatal system
D) the mesocortical system
E) the spinothalamic system

Question 44

Which of the findings below supports the notion that recognition of a stimulus involves activation of the association cortex for that sensory system?

A) Recall of a word stimulus activates the visual association cortex, as measured by fMRI.
B) Recall of a visual stimulus activates the auditory association cortex, as measured by fMRI.
C) Electrical stimulation of the auditory association cortex results in the report of a remembered sound.
D) Electrical stimulation of the visual association cortex cannot produce a memory experience.
E) Stimulus recognition is a function of primary sensory cortex.

Question 45

Instrumental conditioning involves strengthening connections between

A) two stimuli.
B) the lateral and central nuclei of the amygdala.
C) the dorsal and ventral streams.
D) a neutral stimulus and a stimulus that produces a reflexive response.
E) circuits that detect a stimulus and motor control circuits that produce a response.

Question 46

The dorsal stream of the visual association cortex continues into the ________ and carries information relating to ________.

A) inferior temporal cortex; object location
B) posterior parietal cortex; object location
C) posterior parietal cortex; object recognition
D) primary visual cortex; object shape and color
E) inferior temporal cortex; object recognition

Question 47

The correct flow of information into and from the basal ganglia is

A) sensory signals -> lateral amygdala -> primary motor cortex.
B) sensory cortex -> globus pallidus -> caudate nucleus/putamen -> primary motor cortex.
C) sensory cortex-> caudate nucleus/putamen -> globus pallidus -> frontal cortex/primary motor cortex.
D) motor cortex -> primary motor cortex -> premotor cortex -> basal ganglia.
E) sensory cortex -> central amygdala -> caudate nucleus/putamen -> primary motor cortex.

Question 48

A human who suffered damage to the inferior temporal cortex would be unable to

A) sense changes in the color of objects.
B) detect movement.
C) differentiate between two tones.
D) recognize familiar objects or people.
E) detect changes in binocular depth cues.

Question 49

In a conditioned emotional response (CER)study,a tone is paired with a foot shock for a rat.After several trials,the tone alone is a CS that can elicit fear emotional responses.Which of the following is true of the anatomy of this fear response?

A) The central nucleus of the amygdala integrates the pairing of tone and shock information.
B) Tone information is relayed directly to the central nucleus of the amygdala.
C) The lateral nucleus of the amygdala integrates the pairing of tone and shock information.
D) Damage to the lateral nucleus of the amygdala impairs perceptual learning, but not CER learning.
E) Damage to the central nucleus of the amygdala impairs perceptual learning, but not CER learning.

Question 50

Which pathway below connects the ventral tegmental area with the hippocampus and limbic cortex?

A) the mesocortical system
B) the mesolimbic system
C) the nigrostriatal system
D) the corticofugal system
E) the spinothalamic system

Question 51

In classical conditioning,a neutral stimulus

A) becomes inactive over repeated presentations.
B) reliably produces a response.
C) is termed the unconditional stimulus.
D) must always be presented after the unconditional stimulus.
E) is paired repeatedly with a stimulus that evokes a reflexive response.

Question 52

Object recognition analyses occur in the

A) primary visual cortex.
B) lateral geniculate.
C) visual ventral stream.
D) dorsal stream.
E) somatosensory cortex.

Question 53

Damage to the caudate nucleus/putamen in monkeys would be expected to

A) impair spatial memory.
B) promote the formation of new motor memories.
C) impair the acquisition of a stimulus-response relationship.
D) impair instrumental conditioning.
E) impair episodic memory.

Question 54

Simple perceptual learning involves

A) our capacity to associate sensory and motor stimuli.
B) our recognition of particular stimuli or categories of stimuli.
C) learning how to respond to a particular stimulus.
D) changes in the outputs of the motor system.
E) our ability to associate a new stimulus with an old reflex.

Question 55

Which of the following is true of long-term depression (LTD)?

A) LTD is associated with an increase in the number of AMPA receptors in the postsynaptic neurons.
B) LTD reflects a gradual strengthening of synaptic connections.
C) LTD is associated with a decrease in the number of AMPA receptors in the postsynaptic neuron.
D) LTD can be produced by high-frequency stimulation of CA1 neurons.
E) LTD is not an associative phenomenon.

Question 56

Transcortical connections between the sensory association cortex and the motor association cortex are involved in

A) conditioned emotional responses.
B) sensory memory.
C) the acquisition of simple behaviors by observation.
D) the acquisition of episodic memory.
E) conditioned emotional responses.

Question 57

Which of the following is important for the acquisition of complex behaviors?

A) As a person becomes proficient in a new complex behavior, control of the process is transferred to the basal ganglia.
B) As a person becomes proficient in the behavior, control of the process is transferred to the transcortical pathways.
C) As a person becomes proficient in the new behavior, the transcortical circuits become more active.
D) Acquisition of the behavior is accompanied by long-term depression in the motor cortex.
E) Acquisition of the behavior is accompanied by long-term depression in the basal ganglia.

Question 58

Reinforcing effects of electrical brain stimulation and of drugs such as amphetamine partly reflect an action on ________ projections of the ________.

A) dopamine; nigrostriatal pathway
B) norepinephrine; nigrostriatal pathway
C) GABA; mesocortical pathway
D) dopamine; mesolimbic pathway
E) leptin; mesocortical pathway

Question 59

In a conditioned emotional response (CER)study,a tone is paired with a foot shock for a rat.After several trials,the tone alone is a CS that can elicit fear emotional responses.Which of the following is true of the physiology of this fear response?

A) Damage to the lateral nucleus of the prefrontal cortex impairs CER learning.
B) Tone-shock pairings rapidly decrease the electrical activity of the lateral nucleus of the amygdala.
C) Damage to the central nucleus of the amygdala impairs CER learning.
D) Activation of the lateral nucleus of the amygdala during CER training blocks the formation of the CER.
E) CER learning is an example of perceptual learning.

Question 60

The behavior of an animal is strongly reinforced by electrical stimulation of the

A) ventral aspect of the basal ganglia.
B) substantia nigra.
C) central nucleus of the amygdala.
D) premotor cortex.
E) caudate nucleus.

Question 61

Which of the following is an example of stimulus-response learning task?

A) tracing a figure viewed via a mirror
B) recognizing broken drawings
C) recalling childhood events that occurred prior to age 9
D) recognizing songs learned in childhood prior to brain damage
E) making a classically conditioned eyeblink response

Question 62

Which of the following is an example of an implicit memory task?

A) mirror tracing
B) reading
C) recall of pair associate words
D) recall of autobiographical details of early childhood
E) recognition that a person had been tested in this situation in the past

Question 63

People with anterograde amnesia

A) show impairment of perceptual memory.
B) show impairments in motor memory.
C) show impairment of complex relational learning.
D) are unable to recall childhood experiences.
E) show facilitated stimulus-response learning.

Question 64

Patient H.M.was treated for severe epilepsy by bilateral removal of his

A) temporal lobes.
B) occipital lobes.
C) frontal lobes.
D) hypothalamus.
E) thalamic nuclei.

Question 65

Which of the following is an example of perceptual learning task?

A) making a classically conditioned eyeblink response
B) recognizing broken drawings
C) recalling childhood events that occurred prior to age 9
D) recognizing songs learned in childhood prior to brain damage
E) tracing a figure

Question 66

Patient H.M.is able to perform all of the following tasks quite well EXCEPT

A) making a classically conditioned eyeblink response.
B) recognizing broken drawings.
C) recalling childhood events that occurred prior to age 9.
D) consolidating information from short-term memory to long-term memory using rehearsal.
E) mirror drawing.

Question 67

The most profound symptom of Korsakoff's syndrome is

A) anterograde amnesia.
B) total amnesia.
C) combative behavior.
D) delirium tremens.
E) auditory and visual hallucinations.

Question 68

Increased release of dopamine within the nucleus accumbens can be induced by

A) blocking connections between the basolateral amygdala and the ventral tegmental area.
B) satiation.
C) reduced activity of the lateral hypothalamus.
D) drugs such as haloperidol.
E) increased activity of prefrontal glutamate neurons that innervate the ventral tegmental area.

Question 69

Based on the study of Patient H.M.,it has been concluded that

A) short-term memories are stored within the hippocampus.
B) the hippocampus is required for retrieval of long-term memories.
C) long-term memories are stored within the hippocampus.
D) the hippocampus converts short-term memories into long-term memories.
E) damage to the hippocampus results in severe retrograde amnesia.

Question 70

Amnesia for events that occur after some disturbance to the brain is called

A) retrograde amnesia.
B) declarative amnesia.
C) Korsakoff's psychosis.
D) procedural amnesia.
E) anterograde amnesia.

Question 71

Dopamine acts to facilitate instrumental conditioning by

A) increasing the accuracy of signal detection.
B) inhibiting long-lasting LTP.
C) increasing adjunctive behaviors.
D) facilitating long-lasting LTP.
E) blocking glutamate release in the hippocampus.

Question 72

Memories for a stimulus or an event can be retained in ________,which lasts for ________.

A) perceptual memory; milliseconds
B) short-term memory; a few seconds
C) the dorsal stream; days
D) the ventral stream; weeks
E) long-term memory; days

Question 73

Imaging studies indicate that neural activity within the ________ is increased by ________.

A) nucleus accumbens; presenting stimuli associated with money
B) striatum; presenting stimuli associated with money
C) hippocampus; food for a satiated rat
D) hippocampus; viewing photos of people eating
E) amygdala; presenting stimuli associated with money

Question 74

Patients with anterograde amnesia are NOT capable of which type of learning?

A) motor
B) complex relational
C) perceptual
D) sensory-response
E)classical conditioning.

Question 75

People with retrograde amnesia are unable to

A) learn new information.
B) recall childhood experiences.
C) remember stressful or traumatic events.
D) transform their short-term memories into long-term memories.
E) recall events that occurred prior to the brain injury.

Question 76

Which of the following is an example of a motor learning task?

A) pressing buttons in a fixed sequence
B) recognizing songs learned in childhood prior to brain damage
C) recalling childhood events that occurred prior to age 9
D) recognizing broken drawings
E) making a classically conditioned eyeblink response

Question 77

Which of the following is true of anterograde amnesia?

A) Amnesiacs cannot learn to trace a drawing through a mirror.
B) Amnesiacs can show certain forms of learning, but do not recall the learning experience.
C) Amnesiacs are unable to show perceptual learning.
D) Motor learning is impaired in anterograde amnesia.
E) Amnesiacs show an impairment of immediate verbal memory.

Question 78

An example of a natural reinforcer is

A) dopamine.
B) food for a satiated rat.
C) amphetamine.
D) GABA.
E) food for a hungry rat.

Question 79

A common cause of Korsakoff's syndrome is

A) excessive levels of dietary lead.
B) chronic alcohol abuse.
C) a series of mini-strokes.
D) anoxia.
E) incidental brain damage produced during neurosurgery.

Question 80

________ is the process by which immediate memories are transformed into long-term memories.

A) Potentiation
B) Confabulation
C) Consolidation
D) Synaptogenesis
E) Hebbian reverberation