SAMPLE QUESTIONS.

Don't forget the questions at the end of each section of the lecture notes!!

Part 1. Fill in the blank

1. When conditioning two novel CS's simultaneously, the fact that conditioning occurs to one of the two but not to the other is described as ___________.
2. __________ memory is able to store information from each modality separately.
3. The major inputs to the red nucleus originate in the __________________ and the _________________ .
4. Activity induced changes have been seen in the _______________ and the _________________ . Both regions involved in the acquisition of the nictitating membrane response.
5. One of the pathways that processes light information, as discussed for the heart rate condtioning in the pigeons, involves the retina, ____________, Nucleus Rotundus, and the ______________.
6. Conditioned inhibition can be uncovered by 1) disinhibition. 2) pairing the supposed conditioned inhibitor with a new US, 3) _______________, 4) generalization curves, and/or 5) resistence to reinforcement.
7. Conditioned inhibitors can be produced by _______________________.
8. If reinforcement in an instrumental conditioning paradigm is always given 5 response after the reinforced triial this is referred to as a ______________ schedule.
9. Thorndike and _______________ were the pioneers with respect to studies in instumental condtioning.
10. The CS pathway in the rabbit nictitating membrane conditioning paradigm includes the dorsal accessory nucleus of the inferior olive, _______________, purkinje cells, interpositus nucleus, __________________, etc.

Answers: 1)Overshadowing, 2)Short term memory, 3) Neocortex and cerebellum, 4) red nucleus, cerebellar cortex, 5) Optic tectum, ectostriatum, 6) Summation test, 7) backward conditioning, 8) Fixed ratio 9) Skinner, 10) Granule cells and red nucleus. See notes on 9/30 for information on questions 6,7 & 8.

Part 2. T/F

1. In an hypothetical experiment a lesion to the ipsilateral superior colliculus abolished a learned CR. Based on this experiment it can be said that the lesioned structure is critical for the learning of the association between the CS and the UCS.
2. The conditioned increases in heart rate (CR) to a tone (CS) in pigeons will not occur if the suprasylvian cortex has been lesioned.
3. Direct stimulation of the pericruciate cortex can substitute for a CS in the cat eyeblink paradigm.
4. It has been reported that unilateral lesions of the cerebellar cortex abolish and prevent reacquisition of a conditioned eyelid response.
5. The purkinje cells of the cerebellar cortex release acetylcholine onto the dorsal cochlear nuclei.
6. The Rescorla-Wagner theory does not, in its present form take into account any non-associative learning that may be going on during conditioning.
7. The fifth cranial nerve controls the extension of the nictitating membrane in the rabbit.
8. The medial geniculate nucleus receives auditory information from the inferior olive.

Answers:F,F,T,T,F,T,F,F

Part 3. Short answer

1. What neurological problem occurs when a protein kinase blocker is injected into an animal before training it to run a maze for food?
2. List the structures that seem to be involved in procedural learning? Also, list those that do not seem to play a role in such learning?
3. Some have spectulated on the fact that instrumental conditioning is a special case of classical conditioning. If this is so then what is the CS and US for an instrumental task where an animal must bar press for food?
4. What is the biochemical explanation for the fact that conditioning only occur when the CS precedes the US.
5. What areas of the brain are consistently damaged in amnesics?
6. Explain the "dual process" theory of habituation.
7. What are the two methods for increasing the capacity of short term memory?
8. Use an example to demonstrate that connections in the brain can change.
9. What is the difference between specific and non-specific conditioned responses?
10. What are the major differences between declarative and procedural memory? Give examples.
11. What are the necessary conditions for classical conditioning to occur. Address 1).occurence of the CS relative to the US (temporally- within one trial); 2). occurence of CS, US (across trials); and 3) intervals used between trials.
12. How does STM and LTM differ in terms of how information is encoded in each memory system? Give an example of how this can be uncovered.
13. What are two problems that must be controlled for when performing habituation experiments? Are these problems relevant to other experimental paradigms?
14. Who conducted experiments in humans that involved direct stimulation of the brain? How was this person able to justify doing these experiments? What was discovered from these experiments?
15. Describe the stages in the pathway for a tone CS as discussed for the eyeblink conditioning paradigm in the cat.
16. Describe priming and discuss what this phenomena demonstrates about an amnesics ability to learn or not to learn.
17. What is the difference between contingency and contiguity?
18. What is the theory that tries to explain childhood amnesia?
19. Give a real world example of the evolutionary significance of habituation?
20. Describe a neurobiological experiment that suggests the existence of two separate memory storage capacities.
21. Why was Darwin important to the study of learning and memory?
22. Discuss the two studies which suggest that cerebellar lesions may not disrupt associative formation.
23. What structures in the cerebellum seem to be involved with acquiring autonomic or non-specific CR's.
24. Both eyeblink conditioning in the cat and the rabbit would seem to be similar. What empirical evidence suggests they may differ in the engram that underlies these two phenomena? What might explain this discrepency?
25. 1.Discuss two of the three paradigms we covered in class. 2.Discuss in as much detail as possible, reported cell firing patterns recorded before and after learning from one of the relevant areas. Do not use choose two nuclei from the same preparation. a) Heart - rate conditioning: Nucleus Rotundus or Ectostriatum, b) Eye blink conditioning in the cat: Somatosentory (suprasylvian cortex) or motor cortex (pericruciate) c)Nictitating membrane response in the rabbit: Interpositus nucleus of the cerebellum
26. Discuss the evidence in favor of either the cerebellar cortex or the deep cerebellar nuclei being the site of conditioning induced changes that are critical for the acquisition of the nictitating membrane response.
27. The following questions refer to the figure below.
1. What technique was used to take this picture?
2. One inch in this figure is approximately equal to________? a) an inch, b) a centimeters c) a micrometer d) a yard.
3. Draw a circle around two different synapses?
4. Point to the presynaptic element?
5. Why bother understanding this picture?