Neuroscience: Basal Ganglia and Cerebellum

Basal Ganglia

• The basal ganglia plays a key role in habit formation.
• It supports learning driven by feedback and rewards.

Cerebellum

• Located at the base of the brain.
• Contains more neurons than the rest of the brain.
• Coordinates fine muscle movements.
• Regulates control of posture.
• Enables smooth and precise fine motor movements.
• Does not initiate motor actions.

Cerebellum - Role in Memory

• Temporarily stores implicit procedural memories for motor skills.
• Enables learning of classically conditioned reflexes.
• Assists with our sense of timing in movements.
• If removed, animals are unable to learn new conditioned reflexes.

Mnemonics

• Any technique used to assist memory.
• Mnemonics work by using information already stored in Long-Term Memory to link with new information.
• Mnemonics organize information into a cohesive "whole" so retrieval of part of the information acts as a retrieval cue for the rest.
• Retrieval cues can be sights, sounds, objects.

Atkinson-Shiffrin Multi-Store Model of Human Memory (1968)

• There are three storage components: Sensory, Short-Term, and Long-Term Memory.
• All three stores operate simultaneously and interact.

Sensory Memory

• First stage of memory.
• Sensory information is raw and unencoded.
• Can last less than a second (iconic) to several seconds (auditory).
• Information will not be processed unless we pay attention.
• Fades quickly unless focused on.
• Unlimited capacity.
• Iconic memory is visual.
• Acoustic memory is auditory.

Short Term Memory (STM)

• Stores information longer than Sensory memory but much shorter than Long-Term.
• Retains information long enough to enable mental manipulations.
• Receives information from both Sensory and Long-Term Memory.
• Can hold 7± 2 items (mean = 7).
• Lasts about 12-30 seconds (average of 18 seconds).

Short Term Memory (STM) - Loss of Information

• Loss due to displacement: If STM capacity is reached, new information will displace older information.
• Loss due to decay: If information is not continually rehearsed it will fade and be lost.

Increase STM Capacity Using Chunking

• Chunking can be used to increase capacity of STM.

Mnemonics of Written Cultures

• Several mnemonic techniques have been used in written cultures:
  • Method of Loci
  • Acronyms
  • Acrostics

Method of Loci

• Items to be remembered are converted into mental images.
• These images are visualized and associated with specific positions in a location.

Acronyms

• Pronounceable words formed from the first letters of a group of words.
• The letters act as retrieval cues for the words to be remembered.

Acrostics

• A sentence where words are in a particular sequence that helps to remember items or concepts in order.
• Involve verbal associations between the words in the sentence.

Mnemonics in Oral Traditions

• Oral cultures relied on word of mouth to pass on information and cultural traditions.
• Stories, poetry, and songs were used to retain and pass down collective knowledge.