Is Homework Good for You?
Even if you enjoy the challenge of
learning new things, have you ever
thought about what might be
Orange dots represent multiple synapses on a single neuron
Learning
is how we acquire new information.
Memory
is the process that results in storage of
learned information. Learning and memory are
fundamentally related:
.
After R. Lynch, 2004. <http://www.colorado.edu/epob/epob3730rlynch/image/figure17-4.jpg>
new information
short term memory
Practice
usually lost rapid retrieval
forgetting remembering
slower retrieval
new information
short term memory
long term memory Practice
usually lost rapid retrieval
forgetting remembering slower retrieval new information short-term memory long-term memory practice
usually lost rapid retrieval
forgetting remembering
short-term memory:
lasts for less than 30 seconds,
ex. dialing a phone number you just looked up in
the phone book.
new information
short-term memory
long-term memory practice
usually lost rapid retrieval
forgetting remembering
How good is your short-term
memory?
Try these two on-line tests...
▪
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/puzmatch.html
Read the following sequence silently, pausing at
each dash:
MT-VVC-RC-IAU-SAB-MW
Look away from the computer and write down any
letters
Now, read the following sequence silently, again
pausing at each dash:
MTV-VCR-CIA-USA-BMW
Look away from the computer and write down any
letters
Take another look at the two sequences:
MT-VVC-RC-IAU-SAB-MW
MTV-VCR-CIA-USA-BMW
Notice anything?
The letters are the same in each sequence.
Most people can hold about 7 meaningful pieces of
information in their short-term memory. Meaningful
pieces of information could be numbers, words,
faces, objects, or any other “chunks” of
information.
While short-term memory is
important,
it is long-term memory that
really matters when it comes
to learning.
Practice
(also called rehearsal) of information is required
to convert short-term memory into
long-term memory
.
Without practice, short-term memory is forgotten.
new information
short-term memory
long-term memory practice
usually lost rapid retrieval
forgetting remembering
Practice? That sounds an awful lot like
studying.
What kind of practice? How much practice is
necessary to develop long-term memory? It depends
on what you want to learn...
Input
Something changes!
Ex. London taxi drivers:
-Have to “memorize” the roads - based on earlier studies,
including the results you have already analyzed, researchers
expected that they would see
Results
Examine the graph below. VBM is a measure of density in the brain. Higher values of VBM mean the brain contains more nerve tissue in a particular region.
What changes appear to be related to the amount of time each man has been a licensed taxi driver?
What can we learn from London taxi
drivers?
Besides helping us find our way around London, these taxi drivers teach us some important things about the human brain.
The researchers concluded that the connections between neurons in the hippocampus had been rearranged so that drivers could store a “mental map” of London in the posterior hippocampus.
thalamus hypothalamus temporal lobe cerebellum occipital lobe corpus collosum parietal lobe cerebral cortex
frontal lobe
Results of taxi driver studies show that
the adult brain can change due to mental activity
The results you have analyzed suggest that the brain grows in response to experience. In this case, taxi drivers showed
structural changes in the part of their brain where they stored their “mental map” of London. Other regions of the brain remained unchanged.
Other studies show that different regions
of the brain are active during
different activities.
How might these activities affect growth in the brain?
brain growth
time and experience
Input
?
new information
short term memory
long term memory
Practice
usually lost rapid retrieval
forgetting remembering
slower retrieval
Is homework good for you?
When you do homework, you are giving your brain a workout. This workout gives your brain the opportunity to practice, or convert short-term memory into long-term memory. Does this practice change your brain?
The Nervous System
▪
CNS: central nervous system
▪
brain: made of lobes
▪
spinal cord
▪
PNS: peripheral nervous system
▪
sensory pathways
CNS
▪
processing centre: receives messages
from nerves
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Divisions of the Brain
Master Watermark Image:
Cerebrum
▪
Makes up the left and right hemispheres of
a vertebrate forebrain.
▪
Responsible for integrating memory,
learning, emotions and other complex
functions of the brain.
Cerebrum
Cerebru
m
Cerebru
m
Cerebellu m
▪
two sides, connected by corpus callosum
▪
R processes stuff from L and vice-versa
▪
can be split by cutting corpus callosum
▪
treatment for severe epilepsy
▪
can’t process language associated with picture if
shown to left eye, since your language is on the
left!
Cerebral
Cortex
Cerebral
Cortex
Cerebral Cortex - The outermost layer of
gray matter making up the superficial
aspect of the cerebrum.
Lobes of the Brain (4)
▪
Frontal
▪
Parietal
▪
Occipital
▪
Temporal
* Note: Occasionally, the Insula is considered the fifth lobe. It is
located deep to the Temporal Lobe.
Lobes of the Brain - Frontal
▪
The Frontal Lobe of the brain is located deep to the
Frontal Bone of the skull.
(Investigation: Phineas Gage)
•
It plays an integral role in the following
functions/actions:
- Memory Formation
- Emotions
- Decision Making/Reasoning
- Personality
Modified from:
Lobes of the Brain - Parietal Lobe
▪
The Parietal Lobe of the brain is located deep to
the Parietal Bone of the skull.
• It plays a major role in the following
functions/actions:
-
Senses and integrates sensation(s)
- Spatial awareness and perception
(Proprioception - Awareness of
body/ body parts in space and
in relation to each other)
Lobes of the Brain – Occipital Lobe
▪
The Occipital Lobe of the
Brain is located deep to the
Occipital Bone of the Skull.
•
Its primary function is the
processing, integration,
interpretation, etc. of VISION
and visual stimuli.
Modified from:
Lobes of the Brain – Temporal
Lobe
▪
The Temporal Lobes are located on the sides
of the brain, deep to the Temporal Bones of
the skull.
•
They play an integral
role in the following
functions:
- Hearing
- Organization/Comprehension of language
- Information Retrieval
(Memory and Memory Formation)
Modified from:
Hindbrain
• autonomic system –regulating
breathing and vomiting, etc.
• activates the brain maintaining
arousal or reduces arousal for
sleep
• mood control and alerting
response
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