Why can you remember so many different pieces of information, but forget some things? How did you form those memories to begin with? How did you learn all of that information, as well as all the things you know how to do?
Memory and learning are core components of human identity: they connect past experiences to the present and shape futures by enabling adaption to daily changes in the environment. In this area of study you will study the neural basis of memory and learning and examine factors that influence the learning of new behaviours and the storage and retention of information in memory. You will consider the influence of biological, psychological and social factors on the fallibility of memory. |
KEY KNOWLEDGE
Neural basis of learning and memory • neural plasticity and changes to connections between neurons (including long-term potentiation and long-term depression) as the fundamental mechanisms of memory formation that leads to learning • the role of neurotransmitters and neurohormones in the neural basis of memory and learning (including the role of glutamate in synaptic plasticity and the role of adrenaline in the consolidation of emotionally arousing experiences).
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