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Related Concept Videos

Higher Mental Functions of Brain: Learning and Memory01:26

Higher Mental Functions of Brain: Learning and Memory

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Memory is one of the most vital higher mental functions of the brain. Memory is closely related to learning because it enables us to retain information and experiences from our past to use them in our present life. It also helps us to remember facts, events, and skills, such as riding a bike or swimming. There are two types of memory — declarative memory, which involves memorizing facts or events, and procedural memory, which enables us to remember how to do something like writing or...
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Mnemonic Devices01:23

Mnemonic Devices

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Mnemonic devices are cognitive tools that facilitate memory retention by linking new information to familiar patterns or organizational strategies. These techniques are beneficial for remembering complex or lengthy sets of information by simplifying and structuring them in easily retrievable ways.
Acronyms
Acronyms are created by using the initial letters of a series of words to form a new word or phrase. This approach condenses complex information into a single, memorable entity. For example,...
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Cognitive Learning01:21

Cognitive Learning

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Cognitive learning is based on purposive behavior, incidental learning, and insight learning.
E. C. Tolman's theory of purposive behavior emphasizes that much behavior is goal-directed. He argued that to understand behavior, we must look at the entire sequence of actions leading to a goal. For instance, high school students study hard, not just due to past reinforcement but also to achieve the goal of getting into a good college.
Tolman introduced the idea that behavior is influenced by...
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Associative Learning01:27

Associative Learning

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Associative learning is a fundamental concept in behavioral psychology, wherein a connection is established between two stimuli or events, leading to a learned response. This process is critical in understanding how behaviors are acquired and modified. Conditioning, the mechanism through which associations are formed, can be divided into two main types: classical conditioning and operant conditioning, each elucidating different aspects of associative learning.
Classical conditioning, also known...
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Interference and Decay01:16

Interference and Decay

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Forgetting is a complex cognitive phenomenon influenced by several factors, among which interference and decay are particularly prominent. These processes explain why individuals often struggle to retrieve specific information from memory, leading to lapses in recall that can be observed in everyday situations.
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Neuroplasticity01:01

Neuroplasticity

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Neuroplasticity reflects the brain's remarkable capacity to adapt and evolve, responding dynamically to learning, experiences, or injury by reorganizing its neural circuitry. This reorganization involves creating new neural connections and refining old ones through a series of biological processes that contribute to the brain's lifelong development and adaptability.
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The Mnemonic Tuning for Contamination: A Replication and Extension Study Using More Ecologically Valid Stimuli.

Evolutionary psychology : an international journal of evolutionary approaches to psychology and behavior·2021
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Simultaneous Monitoring of Wireless Electrophysiology and Memory Behavioral Test as a Tool to Study Hippocampal Neurogenesis
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Adaptive Education: Learning and Remembering with a Stone-Age Brain.

James S Nairne1

  • 1Purdue University, West Lafayette, USA.

Educational Psychology Review
|August 15, 2022
PubMed
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Evolutionary pressures continue to shape how we remember. Understanding these innate memory biases, like attention to animacy, can improve learning and foreign language acquisition in educational settings.

Keywords:
Adaptive educationAdaptive memoryAnimacyEvolutionSurvival processing

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary psychology
  • Cognitive science
  • Educational psychology

Background:

  • Basic learning and memory are widely accepted as evolutionary products.
  • The influence of ancestral selection pressures on modern memory is less understood.
  • An evolutionary perspective is crucial for a complete understanding of memory.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review evidence for evolutionary influences on memory.
  • To explore how understanding memory's evolutionary basis can inform educational practices.
  • To highlight the role of innate cognitive biases in learning.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of evolutionary psychology and cognitive science research.
  • Functional analysis of memory processes.
  • Examination of laboratory findings on memory biases.

Main Results:

  • Memory functioning is shaped by ancestral selection pressures related to fitness.
  • Human memory systems exhibit a bias towards animacy (distinguishing living from nonliving).
  • This animacy bias can enhance foreign language acquisition.

Conclusions:

  • An evolutionary, functional approach to memory is essential for understanding its mechanisms.
  • Innate cognitive "tunings," such as animacy bias, must be considered in educational system design.
  • Aligning learning management systems with inherent human memory biases can optimize learning outcomes.