Lecture 2

Question 1

Meaney

Answer 1

good and bad mother rats
pups grew up with the traits of the mother that raised them, not their biological mother
discovered to be due to a stress hormone receptors
Bad Mom -> more methylation -> less receptors -> more stressed
Good Mom -> less methylation -> more receptors -> less stressed

Question 2

Usefulness of Rats

Answer 2

1. more control over environment
2. can reduce genetic variation
3. rats are convenient
4. lots of literature on rats
5. successful model for human physiology

Question 3

Hall

Answer 3

Performance = Learning x Motivation

ex. rat who learned to press lever for treat might not have motivation if he’s not hungry

Question 4

Tolman

Answer 4

put rats in complicated maze with or without food at the end, demonstrated learning can occur without performance
latent learning, you can learn without reinforcement
cognitive map-making a map in their head, not just memorizing directions

Question 5

O’Keefe and Mosers

Answer 5

discovered cognitive map neurons in the hippocampus
place cells and grid cells
place cells: specific to one place
grid cells: understanding relative places

Question 6

Reflex

Answer 6

1. Occurs the first time you present a stimulus
2. Relatively Inflexible (can change reflex stronger or weaker, but can’t change what it is)
3. Pre-wired: there’s a specific neural pathway already within the nervous system that results in the reflex