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Includes bibliographical references (pages 385-409) and index

We consider the problem of neural association for a network of non-binary neurons. Here, the task is to first memorize a set of patterns using a network of neurons whose states assume values from a finite number of integer levels. Later, the same network should be able to recall previously memorized patterns from their noisy versions. Prior work in this area consider storing a finite number of purely random patterns, and have shown that the pattern retrieval capacities (maximum number of patterns that can be memorized) scale only linearly with the number of neurons in the network. In our formulation of the problem, we concentrate on exploiting redundancy and internal structure of the patterns in order to improve the pattern retrieval capacity. Our first result shows that if the given patterns have a suitable linear-algebraic structure, i.e. comprise a sub-space of the set of all possible patterns, then the pattern retrieval capacity is in fact exponential in terms of the number of neurons. The second result extends the previous finding to cases where the patterns have weak minor components, i.e. the smallest eigenvalues of the correlation matrix tend toward zero. We will use these minor components (or the basis vectors of the pattern null space) to both increase the pattern retrieval capacity and error correction capabilities. An iterative algorithm is proposed for the learning phase, and two simple neural update algorithms are presented for the recall phase. Using analytical results and simulations, we show that the proposed methods can tolerate a fair amount of errors in the input while being able to memorize an exponentially large number of patterns.

This study examined the memory-enhancing effects of elaborative and mnemonic encoding of information presented with maps, compared to more traditional, non-mnemonic maps, on recall of locations of events and information associated with those events by 72 middle school students with learning disabilities. Subjects were presented with map-like displays containing names of battles of the American Revolution and related factual information via either: (1) a non-mnemonic control map with realistic drawings of buildings, soldiers, weapons, etc. found in the time period; (2) a mnemonic map with mnemonic-keywords of verbal labels; or (3) an elaborative map with reconstructive elaborations of the verbal labels and event information. Findings indicated that recall of location was significantly enhanced by mnemonic keyword encoding of verbal labels, that mnemonic encoding of location labels produced no significant gain in recall of related factual information, that locations were more often recalled than events, that only elaborative encoding resulted in a significant difference in the conditional probability of associating events with their locations, and that mnemonic strategy use was positively and significantly correlated with recall measures. Battle names, associated information, keywords, and elaborations are listed on an attachment. (DB)

This study examined the memory-enhancing effects of elaborative and mnemonic encoding of information presented with maps, compared to more traditional, non-mnemonic maps, on recall of locations of events and information associated with those events by 72 middle school students with learning disabilities. Subjects were presented with map-like displays containing names of battles of the American Revolution and related factual information via either: (1) a non-mnemonic control map with realistic drawings of buildings, soldiers, weapons, etc. found in the time period; (2) a mnemonic map with mnemonic-keywords of verbal labels; or (3) an elaborative map with reconstructive elaborations of the verbal labels and event information. Findings indicated that recall of location was significantly enhanced by mnemonic keyword encoding of verbal labels, that mnemonic encoding of location labels produced no significant gain in recall of related factual information, that locations were more often recalled than events, that only elaborative encoding resulted in a significant difference in the conditional probability of associating events with their locations, and that mnemonic strategy use was positively and significantly correlated with recall measures. Battle names, associated information, keywords, and elaborations are listed on an attachment. (DB)

This study examined the memory-enhancing effects of elaborative and mnemonic encoding of information presented with maps, compared to more traditional, non-mnemonic maps, on recall of locations of events and information associated with those events by 72 middle school students with learning disabilities. Subjects were presented with map-like displays containing names of battles of the American Revolution and related factual information via either: (1) a non-mnemonic control map with realistic drawings of buildings, soldiers, weapons, etc. found in the time period; (2) a mnemonic map with mnemonic-keywords of verbal labels; or (3) an elaborative map with reconstructive elaborations of the verbal labels and event information. Findings indicated that recall of location was significantly enhanced by mnemonic keyword encoding of verbal labels, that mnemonic encoding of location labels produced no significant gain in recall of related factual information, that locations were more often recalled than events, that only elaborative encoding resulted in a significant difference in the conditional probability of associating events with their locations, and that mnemonic strategy use was positively and significantly correlated with recall measures. Battle names, associated information, keywords, and elaborations are listed on an attachment. (DB)

This study examined the memory-enhancing effects of elaborative and mnemonic encoding of information presented with maps, compared to more traditional, non-mnemonic maps, on recall of locations of events and information associated with those events by 72 middle school students with learning disabilities. Subjects were presented with map-like displays containing names of battles of the American Revolution and related factual information via either: (1) a non-mnemonic control map with realistic drawings of buildings, soldiers, weapons, etc. found in the time period; (2) a mnemonic map with mnemonic-keywords of verbal labels; or (3) an elaborative map with reconstructive elaborations of the verbal labels and event information. Findings indicated that recall of location was significantly enhanced by mnemonic keyword encoding of verbal labels, that mnemonic encoding of location labels produced no significant gain in recall of related factual information, that locations were more often recalled than events, that only elaborative encoding resulted in a significant difference in the conditional probability of associating events with their locations, and that mnemonic strategy use was positively and significantly correlated with recall measures. Battle names, associated information, keywords, and elaborations are listed on an attachment. (DB)

Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Learning and Memory 1979: Volume 5 , Issue INDEX. Digitized from IA1534524-01 . Previous issue: sim_journal-of-experimental-psychology-lmc_1978-11_4_6 . Next issue: sim_journal-of-experimental-psychology-lmc_1979-01_5_1 .

Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Learning and Memory 1981: Volume 7 , Issue INDEX. Digitized from IA1534524-01 . Previous issue: sim_journal-of-experimental-psychology-lmc_1980-11_6_6 . Next issue: sim_journal-of-experimental-psychology-lmc_1981-01_7_1 .

Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition 1984: Volume 10 , Issue INDEX. Digitized from IA1534524-01 . Previous issue: sim_journal-of-experimental-psychology-lmc_1983-10_9_4 . Next issue: sim_journal-of-experimental-psychology-lmc_1984-01_10_1 .

The hypothesis that memory support (MS) reduces state anxiety (A-State) and errors in a computer assisted learning task was investigated. It was predicted that high A-State students given MS would make fewer errors than high A-State students given no memory support (NMS). Low A-State students were expected to perform equally as well with or without MS. Sixty male undergraduates were randomly assigned to MS or NMS conditions. All students received the same learning materials. The MS group was allowed to see their previous incorrect responses to each problem before attempting it again, whereas this information was not available to the NMS group. There were no significant effects of memory support on A-State as measured by the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. However, the predicted memory support x A-State interaction was found for errors. These findings were compared with the results of previous research on anxiety and memory support. (Author)

The multivariate effect of task sequence, memory support, and state anxiety was investigated using a nonverbal concept acquisition task. Ninety-five Indian college students were randomly assigned to four treatment conditions resulting from the task sequences of 1) easy-to-hard and 2) hard-to-easy and from memory support versus nonmemory support. Results showed that subjects receiving the easy-to-hard sequence did significantly better on the performance test than did those receiving the hard-to-easy sequence. Also, the memory support treatment groups had significantly fewer errors on the performance test than did the nonmemory support groups. The instructional condition of easy-to-hard sequence plus memory support was the optimal treatment and provided manipulatable variables for applied usage. (Author)

This article is from Ancient Science of Life , volume 32 . Abstract Background:: Plums have been known to have various pharmacological activities. Aims:: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of administration of hydro-alcoholic extract of plum, using passive avoidance task. Settings and Design:: Mice were divided into four groups (n = 7 each) one control and three plum (75, 100, 150 mg/kg) groups. Materials and Methods:: The control group received saline and plum groups received the extract by oral gavage for 7 days. The number of trials to acquisition, step through latency (STLr) in the retention test and the time spent in the dark compartment (TDC) during the retention test were measured. Statistical Analysis:: Differences between groups were tested by one-way ANOVA with Tukey post-hoc test. Results:: A significant difference was found in the number of trials to acquisition between the groups. The results also indicated in the retention test, administration of 75 and 100 mg/kg plum caused an increased STLr (compared with the untreated control group). The results also showed that the total time spent in TDC by the animals of the extract groups was lower than that of the control group. Conclusions:: Hydro-alcoholic extract of plum has a beneficial effect on learning and memory in passive avoidance task. It can be concluded that its antioxidant and antidyslipidemic activities may be involved in the obtained effects.

This article is from Neural Regeneration Research , volume 8 . Abstract Eleutheroside B or E, the main component of Acanthopanax, can relieve fatigue, enhance memory, and improve human cognition. Numerous studies have confirmed that high doses of acetylcholine significantly attenuate clinical symptoms and delay the progression of Alzheimer's disease. The present study replicated a rat model of aging induced by injecting quinolinic acid into the hippocampal CA1 region. These rats were intraperitoneally injected with low, medium and high doses of eleutheroside B or E (50, 100, 200 mg/kg), and rats injected with Huperzine A or PBS were used as controls. At 4 weeks after administration, behavioral tests showed that the escape latencies and errors in searching for the platform in a Morris water maze were dose-dependently reduced in rats treated with medium and high-dose eleutheroside B or E. Hematoxylin-eosin staining showed that the number of surviving hippocampal neurons was greater and pathological injury was milder in three eleutheroside B or E groups compared with model group. Hippocampal homogenates showed enhanced cholinesterase activity, and dose-dependent increases in acetylcholine content and decreases in choline content following eleutheroside B or E treatment, similar to those seen in the Huperzine A group. These findings indicate that eleutheroside B or E improves learning and memory in aged rats. These effects of eleutheroside B or E may be mediated by activation of cholinesterase or enhanced reuse of choline to accelerate the synthesis of acetylcholine in hippocampal neurons.

This article is from PLoS ONE , volume 9 . Abstract Background: Anesthetic exposure early in life affects neural development and long-term cognitive function, but our understanding of the types of memory that are altered is incomplete. Specific cognitive tests in rodents that isolate different memory processes provide a useful approach for gaining insight into this issue. Methods: Postnatal day 7 (P7) rats were exposed to either desflurane or isoflurane at 1 Minimum Alveolar Concentration for 4 h. Acute neuronal death was assessed 12 h later in the thalamus, CA1-3 regions of hippocampus, and dentate gyrus. In separate behavioral experiments, beginning at P48, subjects were evaluated in a series of object recognition tests relying on associative learning, as well as social recognition. Results: Exposure to either anesthetic led to a significant increase in neuroapoptosis in each brain region. The extent of neuronal death did not differ between groups. Subjects were unaffected in simple tasks of novel object and object-location recognition. However, anesthetized animals from both groups were impaired in allocentric object-location memory and a more complex task requiring subjects to associate an object with its location and contextual setting. Isoflurane exposure led to additional impairment in object-context association and social memory. Conclusion: Isoflurane and desflurane exposure during development result in deficits in tasks relying on associative learning and recognition memory. Isoflurane may potentially cause worse impairment than desflurane.

This article is from Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience , volume 6 . Abstract Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is related with a high risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD), but the intrinsic link between H. pylori infection and AD development is still missing. In the present study, we explored the effect of H. pylori infection on cognitive function and β-amyloid production in rats. We found that intraperitoneal injection of H. pylori filtrate induced spatial learning and memory deficit in rats with a simultaneous retarded dendritic spine maturation in hippocampus. Injection of H. pylori filtrate significantly increased Aβ42 both in the hippocampus and cortex, together with an increased level of presenilin-2 (PS-2), one key component of γ-secretase involved in Aβ production. Incubation of H. pylori filtrate with N2a cells which over-express amyloid precursor protein (APP) also resulted in increased PS-2 expression and Aβ42 overproduction. Injection of Escherichia coli (E.coli) filtrate, another common intestinal bacterium, had no effect on cognitive function in rats and Aβ production in rats and cells. These data suggest a specific effect of H. pylori on cognition and Aβ production. We conclude that soluble surface fractions of H. pylori may promote Aβ42 formation by enhancing the activity of γ-secretase, thus induce cognitive impairment through interrupting the synaptic function.

Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition 2008: Volume 34 , Issue Index/Contents. Digitized from IA1534530-06 . Previous issue: sim_journal-of-experimental-psychology-lmc_2007-11_33_6 . Next issue: sim_journal-of-experimental-psychology-lmc_2008-01_34_1 .

Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition 2008: Volume 34 , Issue Index/Contents. Digitized from IA1534530-06 . Previous issue: sim_journal-of-experimental-psychology-lmc_2007-11_33_6 . Next issue: sim_journal-of-experimental-psychology-lmc_2008-01_34_1 .

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This preregistration involves two independent behavioural experiments that will be conducted with native English adults. These experiments are designed to examine the role of working memory and representational gestures in adult learning of word labels (study 1; preregistered N=150) and word semantics (study 2; preregistered N=90). The experiments' predictions are based on the findings from two recent corpus analyses (Cabiddu et al., 2024; Edwards et al., 2024). These analyses assessed the roles of working memory and representational gestures in label and semantic learning within a naturalistic context. This context involved free dyadic conversations between a person knowledgeable about a set of objects (informal teacher) and a partner who did not known anything about the objects (informal learner). Learning was tested post-conversation, both as label recall (asking the learner to look at a picture of an unknown object and recall its name) and semantic learning (asking learners to describe the unknown objects). The findings indicated that the teacher’s representational gestures accompanying speech were beneficial for learners with low working memory abilities (measured using the N-back test; Jaeggi et al., 2008) in recalling the target word labels. Furthermore, a simple effect of working memory was found for semantic learning, indicating that individuals with higher working memory abilities performed better in the semantic learning task. These findings from the corpus analyses are correlational. The aim of the current preregistered project is to experimentally test the effects of working memory and representational gestures. References Cabiddu, F., Edwards, C., Hill-Payne, H., Donnellan, E., Gu, Y., & Vigliocco, G. (2024). What Predicts Adult Word Learning in Naturalistic Interactions? A Corpus Study. Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, 46(0). https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7bc403rx Edwards, C., Cabiddu, F., Hill-Payne, H., D’Estalenx, Q., Donnellan, E., Gu, Y., & Vigliocco, G. (2024). The impact of speakers’ multimodal behaviours on adults’ learning of semantic information: A corpus-based investigation. Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, 46(0). https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1qb756nh Jaeggi, S. M., Buschkuehl, M., Jonides, J., & Perrig, W. J. (2008). Improving fluid intelligence with training on working memory. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 105(19), 6829–6833. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0801268105

Meta-analytic research on the effectiveness of second language (L2) instruction has consistently shown that instruction have positive effects on L2 learning, and that different types of instruction produce differential effects on the development of L2 proficiency (Goo et al., 2015; Kang et al., 2018; Norris & Ortega, 2000; Spada & Tomita, 2010). However, it is unclear how the relative effects of L2 instruction vary according to the individual characteristics of learners, and while there is substantial evidence for the role of individual differences in L2 learning (see Li et al., 2022), less is known about the potential interaction of individual differences with educational treatment (i.e., aptitude-treatment interactions [ATIs]; Cronbach & Snow, 1977). Examining possible ATIs in L2 acquisition is important because instructional effectiveness depends largely on learners’ individual characteristics (DeKeyser, 2021). Individual differences in declarative memory and procedural memory, the two most critical learning and memory systems in the brain (Ullman, 2020), have been found to be important sources of variability of L2 learning (see Hamrick et al., 2018; Morgan-Short et al., 2022; Morgan-Short & Ullman, 2022; for reviews). Declarative memory is a memory brain system that supports conscious recollection of facts (semantic knowledge) and events (episodic knowledge) (Squire, 2004), as well as the learning of arbitrary pieces of information and their associations (Ullman, 2020). Learning in this memory system can occur rapidly and after a single exposure to a given piece of information (Morgan-Short & Ullman, 2022). Procedural memory, on the other hand, is a memory brain system responsible for motor skills, habits, and actions that are relatively implicit and difficult to verbalize (Knowlton et al., 2017); it underlies unconscious sequence processing and learning (Ullman et al., 2020). Learning in procedural memory takes place gradually and it is brought about by means of generating and testing predictions on the outcome, as well as rapid feedback on the generated predictions (Morgan-Short & Ullman, 2022). In L2, and crucial for the work that we present here, these two long-term memory systems play a critical role in the learning of L2 vocabulary and grammar (Morgan-Short et al., 2022; Morgan-Short & Ullman, 2022). More specifically, declarative memory primarily facilitates associative vocabulary learning (Morgan-Short & Ullman, 2022); it can also support the learning of grammar, especially in the early stages of acquisition (Morgan-Short et al., 2022). Conversely, procedural memory is primarily involved in the learning of grammar, particularly, in the later phases of acquisition (Hamrick et al., 2018; Morgan-Short et al., 2014). Overall, individual differences in both declarative memory and procedural memory are considered to be significant cognitive predictors of L2 development (Morgan-Short & Ullman, 2022; Ullman, 2020). Using a cross-situational learning paradigm (i.e., learning by generalizing across multiple situations; Williams & Rebuschat, 2022), in this study we first set out to examine the effect of different types of instructional conditions on the learning of L2 vocabulary and grammar. The instructional conditions vary in explicitness, from a more implicit condition where learners are exposed to an artificial language incidentally, that is, without any specific instructions to pay attention to the structure of the language (Implicit Group) (Monaghan et al., 2021; Rebuschat et al., 2021, Walker et al., 2020), to two more explicit ones where learners are either given explicit information about rules/regularities (Explicit rule presentation Group), or they are instructed to search for underlying rules (Explicit rule-search Group) (Goo et al., 2015; Kang et al., 2018; Monaghan et al., 2021; Norris & Ortega, 2000; Spada & Tomita, 2010). Our second and main goal is to determine potential ATIs in L2 acquisition by means of examining how individual differences in declarative memory and procedural memory affected the ability to acquire artificial language under different instructional conditions varying in their degree of explicitness (explicit or implicit). Findings from this laboratory-based study will shed light on how learner individual differences in declarative memory and procedural memory impact the effectiveness of instruction in the context of cross-situational learning. Using a laboratory-based approach to investigate ATIs in L2 offers the advantage of examining the process and the product of language learning in a highly controlled environment, allowing for isolating the effect of instruction on learning when this effect is moderated by learner individual differences.

Meta-analytic research on the effectiveness of second language (L2) instruction has consistently shown that instruction have positive effects on L2 learning, and that different types of instruction produce differential effects on the development of L2 proficiency (Goo et al., 2015; Kang et al., 2018; Norris & Ortega, 2000; Spada & Tomita, 2010). However, it is unclear how the relative effects of L2 instruction vary according to the individual characteristics of learners, and while there is substantial evidence for the role of individual differences in L2 learning (see Li et al., 2022), less is known about the potential interaction of individual differences with educational treatment (i.e., aptitude-treatment interactions [ATIs]; Cronbach & Snow, 1977). Examining possible ATIs in L2 acquisition is important because instructional effectiveness depends largely on learners’ individual characteristics (DeKeyser, 2021). Individual differences in declarative memory and procedural memory, the two most critical learning and memory systems in the brain (Ullman, 2020), have been found to be important sources of variability of L2 learning (see Hamrick et al., 2018; Morgan-Short et al., 2022; Morgan-Short & Ullman, 2022; for reviews). Declarative memory is a memory brain system that supports conscious recollection of facts (semantic knowledge) and events (episodic knowledge) (Squire, 2004), as well as the learning of arbitrary pieces of information and their associations (Ullman, 2020). Learning in this memory system can occur rapidly and after a single exposure to a given piece of information (Morgan-Short & Ullman, 2022). Procedural memory, on the other hand, is a memory brain system responsible for motor skills, habits, and actions that are relatively implicit and difficult to verbalize (Knowlton et al., 2017); it underlies unconscious sequence processing and learning (Ullman et al., 2020). Learning in procedural memory takes place gradually and it is brought about by means of generating and testing predictions on the outcome, as well as rapid feedback on the generated predictions (Morgan-Short & Ullman, 2022). In L2, and crucial for the work that we present here, these two long-term memory systems play a critical role in the learning of L2 vocabulary and grammar (Morgan-Short et al., 2022; Morgan-Short & Ullman, 2022). More specifically, declarative memory primarily facilitates associative vocabulary learning (Morgan-Short & Ullman, 2022); it can also support the learning of grammar, especially in the early stages of acquisition (Morgan-Short et al., 2022). Conversely, procedural memory is primarily involved in the learning of grammar, particularly, in the later phases of acquisition (Hamrick et al., 2018; Morgan-Short et al., 2014). Overall, individual differences in both declarative memory and procedural memory are considered to be significant cognitive predictors of L2 development (Morgan-Short & Ullman, 2022; Ullman, 2020). Using a cross-situational learning paradigm (i.e., learning by generalizing across multiple situations; Williams & Rebuschat, 2022), in this study we first set out to examine the effect of different types of instructional conditions on the learning of L2 vocabulary and grammar. The instructional conditions vary in explicitness, from a more implicit condition where learners are exposed to an artificial language incidentally, that is, without any specific instructions to pay attention to the structure of the language (Implicit Group) (Monaghan et al., 2021; Rebuschat et al., 2021, Walker et al., 2020), to two more explicit ones where learners are either given explicit information about rules/regularities (Explicit rule presentation Group), or they are instructed to search for underlying rules (Explicit rule-search Group) (Goo et al., 2015; Kang et al., 2018; Monaghan et al., 2021; Norris & Ortega, 2000; Spada & Tomita, 2010). Our second and main goal is to determine potential ATIs in L2 acquisition by means of examining how individual differences in declarative memory and procedural memory affected the ability to acquire artificial language under different instructional conditions varying in their degree of explicitness (explicit or implicit). Findings from this laboratory-based study will shed light on how learner individual differences in declarative memory and procedural memory impact the effectiveness of instruction in the context of cross-situational learning. Using a laboratory-based approach to investigate ATIs in L2 offers the advantage of examining the process and the product of language learning in a highly controlled environment, allowing for isolating the effect of instruction on learning when this effect is moderated by learner individual differences.

Meta-analytic research on the effectiveness of second language (L2) instruction has consistently shown that instruction have positive effects on L2 learning, and that different types of instruction produce differential effects on the development of L2 proficiency (Goo et al., 2015; Kang et al., 2018; Norris & Ortega, 2000; Spada & Tomita, 2010). However, it is unclear how the relative effects of L2 instruction vary according to the individual characteristics of learners, and while there is substantial evidence for the role of individual differences in L2 learning (see Li et al., 2022), less is known about the potential interaction of individual differences with educational treatment (i.e., aptitude-treatment interactions [ATIs]; Cronbach & Snow, 1977). Examining possible ATIs in L2 acquisition is important because instructional effectiveness depends largely on learners’ individual characteristics (DeKeyser, 2021). Individual differences in declarative memory and procedural memory, the two most critical learning and memory systems in the brain (Ullman, 2020), have been found to be important sources of variability of L2 learning (see Hamrick et al., 2018; Morgan-Short et al., 2022; Morgan-Short & Ullman, 2022; for reviews). Declarative memory is a memory brain system that supports conscious recollection of facts (semantic knowledge) and events (episodic knowledge) (Squire, 2004), as well as the learning of arbitrary pieces of information and their associations (Ullman, 2020). Learning in this memory system can occur rapidly and after a single exposure to a given piece of information (Morgan-Short & Ullman, 2022). Procedural memory, on the other hand, is a memory brain system responsible for motor skills, habits, and actions that are relatively implicit and difficult to verbalize (Knowlton et al., 2017); it underlies unconscious sequence processing and learning (Ullman et al., 2020). Learning in procedural memory takes place gradually and it is brought about by means of generating and testing predictions on the outcome, as well as rapid feedback on the generated predictions (Morgan-Short & Ullman, 2022). In L2, and crucial for the work that we present here, these two long-term memory systems play a critical role in the learning of L2 vocabulary and grammar (Morgan-Short et al., 2022; Morgan-Short & Ullman, 2022). More specifically, declarative memory primarily facilitates associative vocabulary learning (Morgan-Short & Ullman, 2022); it can also support the learning of grammar, especially in the early stages of acquisition (Morgan-Short et al., 2022). Conversely, procedural memory is primarily involved in the learning of grammar, particularly, in the later phases of acquisition (Hamrick et al., 2018; Morgan-Short et al., 2014). Overall, individual differences in both declarative memory and procedural memory are considered to be significant cognitive predictors of L2 development (Morgan-Short & Ullman, 2022; Ullman, 2020). Using a cross-situational learning paradigm (i.e., learning by generalizing across multiple situations; Williams & Rebuschat, 2022), in this study we first set out to examine the effect of different types of instructional conditions on the learning of L2 vocabulary and grammar. The instructional conditions vary in explicitness, from a more implicit condition where learners are exposed to an artificial language incidentally, that is, without any specific instructions to pay attention to the structure of the language (Implicit Group) (Monaghan et al., 2021; Rebuschat et al., 2021, Walker et al., 2020), to two more explicit ones where learners are either given explicit information about rules/regularities (Explicit rule presentation Group), or they are instructed to search for underlying rules (Explicit rule-search Group) (Goo et al., 2015; Kang et al., 2018; Monaghan et al., 2021; Norris & Ortega, 2000; Spada & Tomita, 2010). Our second and main goal is to determine potential ATIs in L2 acquisition by means of examining how individual differences in declarative memory and procedural memory affected the ability to acquire artificial language under different instructional conditions varying in their degree of explicitness (explicit or implicit). Findings from this laboratory-based study will shed light on how learner individual differences in declarative memory and procedural memory impact the effectiveness of instruction in the context of cross-situational learning. Using a laboratory-based approach to investigate ATIs in L2 offers the advantage of examining the process and the product of language learning in a highly controlled environment, allowing for isolating the effect of instruction on learning when this effect is moderated by learner individual differences.

Meta-analytic research on the effectiveness of second language (L2) instruction has consistently shown that instruction have positive effects on L2 learning, and that different types of instruction produce differential effects on the development of L2 proficiency (Goo et al., 2015; Kang et al., 2018; Norris & Ortega, 2000; Spada & Tomita, 2010). However, it is unclear how the relative effects of L2 instruction vary according to the individual characteristics of learners, and while there is substantial evidence for the role of individual differences in L2 learning (see Li et al., 2022), less is known about the potential interaction of individual differences with educational treatment (i.e., aptitude-treatment interactions [ATIs]; Cronbach & Snow, 1977). Examining possible ATIs in L2 acquisition is important because instructional effectiveness depends largely on learners’ individual characteristics (DeKeyser, 2021). Individual differences in declarative memory and procedural memory, the two most critical learning and memory systems in the brain (Ullman, 2020), have been found to be important sources of variability of L2 learning (see Hamrick et al., 2018; Morgan-Short et al., 2022; Morgan-Short & Ullman, 2022; for reviews). Declarative memory is a memory brain system that supports conscious recollection of facts (semantic knowledge) and events (episodic knowledge) (Squire, 2004), as well as the learning of arbitrary pieces of information and their associations (Ullman, 2020). Learning in this memory system can occur rapidly and after a single exposure to a given piece of information (Morgan-Short & Ullman, 2022). Procedural memory, on the other hand, is a memory brain system responsible for motor skills, habits, and actions that are relatively implicit and difficult to verbalize (Knowlton et al., 2017); it underlies unconscious sequence processing and learning (Ullman et al., 2020). Learning in procedural memory takes place gradually and it is brought about by means of generating and testing predictions on the outcome, as well as rapid feedback on the generated predictions (Morgan-Short & Ullman, 2022). In L2, and crucial for the work that we present here, these two long-term memory systems play a critical role in the learning of L2 vocabulary and grammar (Morgan-Short et al., 2022; Morgan-Short & Ullman, 2022). More specifically, declarative memory primarily facilitates associative vocabulary learning (Morgan-Short & Ullman, 2022); it can also support the learning of grammar, especially in the early stages of acquisition (Morgan-Short et al., 2022). Conversely, procedural memory is primarily involved in the learning of grammar, particularly, in the later phases of acquisition (Hamrick et al., 2018; Morgan-Short et al., 2014). Overall, individual differences in both declarative memory and procedural memory are considered to be significant cognitive predictors of L2 development (Morgan-Short & Ullman, 2022; Ullman, 2020). Using a cross-situational learning paradigm (i.e., learning by generalizing across multiple situations; Williams & Rebuschat, 2022), in this study we first set out to examine the effect of different types of instructional conditions on the learning of L2 vocabulary and grammar. The instructional conditions vary in explicitness, from a more implicit condition where learners are exposed to an artificial language incidentally, that is, without any specific instructions to pay attention to the structure of the language (Implicit Group) (Monaghan et al., 2021; Rebuschat et al., 2021, Walker et al., 2020), to two more explicit ones where learners are either given explicit information about rules/regularities (Explicit rule presentation Group), or they are instructed to search for underlying rules (Explicit rule-search Group) (Goo et al., 2015; Kang et al., 2018; Monaghan et al., 2021; Norris & Ortega, 2000; Spada & Tomita, 2010). Our second and main goal is to determine potential ATIs in L2 acquisition by means of examining how individual differences in declarative memory and procedural memory affected the ability to acquire artificial language under different instructional conditions varying in their degree of explicitness (explicit or implicit). Findings from this laboratory-based study will shed light on how learner individual differences in declarative memory and procedural memory impact the effectiveness of instruction in the context of cross-situational learning. Using a laboratory-based approach to investigate ATIs in L2 offers the advantage of examining the process and the product of language learning in a highly controlled environment, allowing for isolating the effect of instruction on learning when this effect is moderated by learner individual differences.

Mireille and Adam discuss the process of forming memories, the various types of memory, anxieties, phobias, panic attacks, and how our attention and our memory relates to learning. Where you place your attention influences what you might remember. What you are able to remember influences how you feel, the choices you make, and your future outcomes.

Mireille and Adam discuss the process of forming memories, the various types of memory, anxieties, phobias, panic attacks, and how our attention and our memory relates to learning. Where you place your attention influences what you might remember. What you are able to remember influences how you feel, the choices you make, and your future outcomes.

Includes bibliographies and index

Includes bibliographies and index

Includes bibliographies and index

Plants are capable of intelligent responses to complex environmental signals. Learning and memory play fundamental roles in such responses. Two simple models of plant memory are proposed based on the calcium-signalling system. The memory states correspond to steady state distributions of calcium ions.

Plants are capable of intelligent responses to complex environmental signals. Learning and memory play fundamental roles in such responses. Two simple models of plant memory are proposed based on the calcium-signalling system. The memory states correspond to steady state distributions of calcium ions.

We examine the effects of memory and different updating paradigms in a game-theoretic model of competitive learning, where agents are influenced in their choice of strategy by both the choices made by, and the consequent success rates of, their immediate neighbours. We apply parallel and sequential updates in all possible combinations to the two competing rules, and find, typically, that the phase diagram of the model consists of a disordered phase separating two ordered phases at coexistence. A major result is that the corresponding critical exponents belong to the generalised universality class of the voter model. When the two strategies are distinct but not too different, we find the expected linear response behaviour as a function of their difference.Finally, we look at the extreme situation when a superior strategy, accompanied by a short memory of earlier outcomes, is pitted against its inverse; interestingly, we find that a long memory of earlier outcomes can occasionally compensate for the choice of a globally inferior strategy.

We examine the effects of memory and different updating paradigms in a game-theoretic model of competitive learning, where agents are influenced in their choice of strategy by both the choices made by, and the consequent success rates of, their immediate neighbours. We apply parallel and sequential updates in all possible combinations to the two competing rules, and find, typically, that the phase diagram of the model consists of a disordered phase separating two ordered phases at coexistence. A major result is that the corresponding critical exponents belong to the generalised universality class of the voter model. When the two strategies are distinct but not too different, we find the expected linear response behaviour as a function of their difference.Finally, we look at the extreme situation when a superior strategy, accompanied by a short memory of earlier outcomes, is pitted against its inverse; interestingly, we find that a long memory of earlier outcomes can occasionally compensate for the choice of a globally inferior strategy.

We examine the effects of memory and different updating paradigms in a game-theoretic model of competitive learning, where agents are influenced in their choice of strategy by both the choices made by, and the consequent success rates of, their immediate neighbours. We apply parallel and sequential updates in all possible combinations to the two competing rules, and find, typically, that the phase diagram of the model consists of a disordered phase separating two ordered phases at coexistence. A major result is that the corresponding critical exponents belong to the generalised universality class of the voter model. When the two strategies are distinct but not too different, we find the expected linear response behaviour as a function of their difference.Finally, we look at the extreme situation when a superior strategy, accompanied by a short memory of earlier outcomes, is pitted against its inverse; interestingly, we find that a long memory of earlier outcomes can occasionally compensate for the choice of a globally inferior strategy.

We examine the effects of memory and different updating paradigms in a game-theoretic model of competitive learning, where agents are influenced in their choice of strategy by both the choices made by, and the consequent success rates of, their immediate neighbours. We apply parallel and sequential updates in all possible combinations to the two competing rules, and find, typically, that the phase diagram of the model consists of a disordered phase separating two ordered phases at coexistence. A major result is that the corresponding critical exponents belong to the generalised universality class of the voter model. When the two strategies are distinct but not too different, we find the expected linear response behaviour as a function of their difference.Finally, we look at the extreme situation when a superior strategy, accompanied by a short memory of earlier outcomes, is pitted against its inverse; interestingly, we find that a long memory of earlier outcomes can occasionally compensate for the choice of a globally inferior strategy.

This is an online study designed to investigate the effects of anhedonic/depressive symptoms and PE valence on reversal learning and episodic memory. The study is conducted as a Master's thesis in the M.Sc. Psychology in the LISCO lab of the Johann Wolfgang von Goethe-University Frankfurt am Main. Supervisor: Dr. Francesco Pupillo

This is an online study designed to investigate the effects of anhedonic/depressive symptoms and PE valence on reversal learning and episodic memory. The study is conducted as a Master's thesis in the M.Sc. Psychology in the LISCO lab of the Johann Wolfgang von Goethe-University Frankfurt am Main. Supervisor: Dr. Francesco Pupillo

The effects of estrogens on learning and memory has been a controversial topic in the literature for the past 30 years. Much of this controversy comes from the results of a large multicenter randomized control trial, the Women’s Health Initiative Memory Study (WHIMS), which showed possible negative effects of estrogens on cognition. These results were scrutinized for the increased age of participants, poor participant baseline health status, the type and dose of hormone treatments administered, and the number of years since menopausal transition. The WHIMS results were also in contrast to observational studies in postmenopausal women and animal studies in young adult rodents which generally showed positive effects on cognition, as well as more recent clinical trials which showed neutral effects. Discrepancies between preclinical and clinical findings may be due to procedural factors within animal studies that have yet to be investigated clinically. We propose that the preclinical animal literature be systematically investigated in order to identify factors that could be translated into potential cognitive improvements clinically. Several factors have already been identified as potentially impactful in animal studies including age, ovarian status, type of estrogen, dose of estrogen, memory task, duration of hormone deprivation before treatment, timing of treatment relative to testing, and treatment schedule. While the preclinical literature has been extensively reviewed, to our knowledge there has not yet been a systematic meta-analysis investigating the effects of estrogens on learning and memory in laboratory rodents, which will guide future clinical research regarding estrogens and cognition in postmenopausal women.

The effects of estrogens on learning and memory has been a controversial topic in the literature for the past 30 years. Much of this controversy comes from the results of a large multicenter randomized control trial, the Women’s Health Initiative Memory Study (WHIMS), which showed possible negative effects of estrogens on cognition. These results were scrutinized for the increased age of participants, poor participant baseline health status, the type and dose of hormone treatments administered, and the number of years since menopausal transition. The WHIMS results were also in contrast to observational studies in postmenopausal women and animal studies in young adult rodents which generally showed positive effects on cognition, as well as more recent clinical trials which showed neutral effects. Discrepancies between preclinical and clinical findings may be due to procedural factors within animal studies that have yet to be investigated clinically. We propose that the preclinical animal literature be systematically investigated in order to identify factors that could be translated into potential cognitive improvements clinically. Several factors have already been identified as potentially impactful in animal studies including age, ovarian status, type of estrogen, dose of estrogen, memory task, duration of hormone deprivation before treatment, timing of treatment relative to testing, and treatment schedule. While the preclinical literature has been extensively reviewed, to our knowledge there has not yet been a systematic meta-analysis investigating the effects of estrogens on learning and memory in laboratory rodents, which will guide future clinical research regarding estrogens and cognition in postmenopausal women.

The effects of estrogens on learning and memory has been a controversial topic in the literature for the past 30 years. Much of this controversy comes from the results of a large multicenter randomized control trial, the Women’s Health Initiative Memory Study (WHIMS), which showed possible negative effects of estrogens on cognition. These results were scrutinized for the increased age of participants, poor participant baseline health status, the type and dose of hormone treatments administered, and the number of years since menopausal transition. The WHIMS results were also in contrast to observational studies in postmenopausal women and animal studies in young adult rodents which generally showed positive effects on cognition, as well as more recent clinical trials which showed neutral effects. Discrepancies between preclinical and clinical findings may be due to procedural factors within animal studies that have yet to be investigated clinically. We propose that the preclinical animal literature be systematically investigated in order to identify factors that could be translated into potential cognitive improvements clinically. Several factors have already been identified as potentially impactful in animal studies including age, ovarian status, type of estrogen, dose of estrogen, memory task, duration of hormone deprivation before treatment, timing of treatment relative to testing, and treatment schedule. While the preclinical literature has been extensively reviewed, to our knowledge there has not yet been a systematic meta-analysis investigating the effects of estrogens on learning and memory in laboratory rodents, which will guide future clinical research regarding estrogens and cognition in postmenopausal women.

This project/preregistration is for an audit of the article Interactive Effects of Consumer’s Working Memory Capacity and Information Accessibility on Learning and Forgetting by Esther Kang (2023) for the course PSYC 421: Advanced Cognitive Psychology at StFX University.

This research examines how perception of easy accessibility to online information affects individuals’ strategies to remember two types of information: keywords and content details and how individual differences in working memory capacity, which can determine efficient management of attentional resources, impact knowledge management in closely accessible information service contexts.

This study explores the immediate effects of peer exclusion on working memory performance and learning outcomes in children and adolescents aged 8-16 years. Using an immersive virtual reality (VR) environment, participants experienced exclusion by virtual peers during a simulated school conversation. The study tests hypotheses regarding the impact of exclusion on mood, cognitive function, and academic performance, with mediating effects of mood and working memory, and moderating effects of gender, age, and socioeconomic status (SES). Additionally, the role of baseline mood, cognitive abilities, and personality traits in modulating these effects is examined. The sample comprises 170 participants from Italian schools. Data analysis will employ structural equation modeling and other statistical tests to evaluate the hypotheses. Although data collection is complete, the pre-registration remains valid as no analyses have been conducted.

A pre-registration of an online experiment that investigates whether there is evidence for a general learning monitoring ability and whether such an ability is related to working memory capacity.

Motivation influences goals, decisions, and memory formation. Imperative motivation drives action to address urgent goals, whereas interrogative motivation supports broader learning for future goals. In this paradigm, we will induce motivational states by manipulating cover stories for a reinforcement learning task: Participants in the Imperative group imagine executing an art museum heist, whereas participants in the Interrogative group imagine planning a future heist. Participants repeatedly choose among four “doors” and sample trial-unique paintings with variable rewards, then return the next day for a surprise memory test. We predict that Imperative motivation will increase exploitation, reward earnings, and learning rate during the reinforcement learning task. Conversely, we expect that Interrogative motivation will increase directed exploration during reinforcement learning. Furthermore, we expect that participants in the Interrogative group will show better subsequent recognition memory and stronger reward-related associative memory.

This paper proposes a methodology aimed at resolving catastropic forgetting problem by choosing a limited portion of the historical dataset to act as a representative memory. This method harness the capabilities of generative adversarial networks (GANs) to create samples that expand upon the representative memory. The main advantage of this method is that it not only prevents catastrophic forgetting but also improves backward transfer and has a relatively stable and small size. The experimental results show that combining real representative data with artificially generated data from GANs, yielded better outcomes and helped counteract the negative effects of catastrophic forgetting more effectively than solely relying on GAN-generated data. This mixed approach creates a richer training environment, aiding in the retention of previous knowledge. Additionally, when comparing different methods for selecting data as the proportion of GAN-generated data increases, the low probability and mean cluster methods performed the best. These methods exhibit resilience and consistency by selecting more informative samples, thus improving overall performance.

This paper proposes a methodology aimed at resolving catastropic forgetting problem by choosing a limited portion of the historical dataset to act as a representative memory. This method harness the capabilities of generative adversarial networks (GANs) to create samples that expand upon the representative memory. The main advantage of this method is that it not only prevents catastrophic forgetting but also improves backward transfer and has a relatively stable and small size. The experimental results show that combining real representative data with artificially generated data from GANs, yielded better outcomes and helped counteract the negative effects of catastrophic forgetting more effectively than solely relying on GAN-generated data. This mixed approach creates a richer training environment, aiding in the retention of previous knowledge. Additionally, when comparing different methods for selecting data as the proportion of GAN-generated data increases, the low probability and mean cluster methods performed the best. These methods exhibit resilience and consistency by selecting more informative samples, thus improving overall performance.