Memory, etc.

Ch. 14-4

Limbic System

• Plays a role in emotions• Includes olfactory lobes – memory, emotion,

and smell are linked– Crayolas are created today with the same scent

because it reminds people of their happy times in childhood.

– Why is the brain formed so that smell and emotions are tied together? • Because pheromones are tied to emotions and

behavior, so they need a link

Memory

• Old method – short-term, long-term• New method – based on process for storage

and retrieval– Episodic– Semantic– Procedural– Working

Episodic Memory

• Think of something that happened yesterday.• Involved in remembering personal

experiences, such as a phone conversation you had yesterday or the movie you watched last week

• Challenge: Do you remember the first Harry Potter movie? What was the story? How many details do you remember?

Semantic Memory

• Think of a fact that you know to be true.• Manages the storage and retrieval of general

knowledge of facts, such as the number of days in a year or the colors in a rainbow.

• Naming objects is semantic memory• Challenge:– Where do kangaroos live?– What actor played Joker in the last Batman movie?– What is this thing?

Procedural Memory

• Describe to a partner how to tie a shoe.• Allows us to learn activities and skills that will

be performed automatically with little or no conscious though.

• Examples are riding a bike or driving a car.• Challenge:– How do you use a can opener?

Working Memory

• Stand up• Spin around one time clockwise• Pick up your pencil• Write your name backwards• Sit down• Concentration and short-term retention• Problems here can impair a person’s ability to pay attention

or accomplish multi-step tasks.• Challenge:

– What do you need to get done tonight when you get home?– Were you able to follow the directions?

Damage and Injuries

• To medulla oblongata– Blow to back of head can lead to death– Disrupts rhythm of breathing and heart beating

• To cerebellum (injury or disease)– Ataxia – disrupts muscle coordination– Can’t touch tip of nose when blindfolded– Staggered walking, change in speech pattern– Like being drunk – alcohol inhibits ability of

cerebellum

Brain Waves

• Electrical signals produced by brain neurons sending action potentials

• 4 types of brain waves– Alpha – present during awake and resting with their eyes

closed – disappear during sleep– Beta – appear when nervous system is active during sensory

input and mental activity– Theta – occur in children and adults during emotional stress– Delta – during deep sleep in adults, normal in awake infants

• When produced by awake adult it indicates brain damage

Brain Waves