Psychology: Learning, Memory & Development
Free MCAT study guide — Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior
Learning
Key Point: Classical: UCS→UCR, then CS+UCS→UCR, finally CS→CR. Key: acquisition, extinction, spontaneous recovery, generalization, discrimination.
| Add (+) | Remove (−) | |
|---|---|---|
| ↑ Behavior (Reinforcement) | Positive reinforcement | Negative reinforcement |
| ↓ Behavior (Punishment) | Positive punishment | Negative punishment |
Memory
Atkinson-Shiffrin Model: Sensory memory → Short-term/Working memory (7±2 items, ~30s) → Long-term memory
| LTM Type | Subtype | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Explicit (declarative) | Episodic | Your 18th birthday party |
| Explicit (declarative) | Semantic | The capital of France |
| Implicit (non-declarative) | Procedural | Riding a bicycle |
| Implicit (non-declarative) | Priming | Completing 'doc___' as 'doctor' after medical context |
Key Point: Hippocampus: encoding new explicit memories. Amygdala: emotional memories. Cerebellum: procedural memories.
Development
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