Declarative learning
Encyclopedia
Declarative learning is acquiring information that one can speak about. Contrast with motor learning
. The capital of a state is a declarative piece of information, while knowing how to ride a bike is not. Episodic memory
and semantic memory
are a further division of declarative information.
There are two ways to learn a telephone number, memorize it using your Declarative Memory or
punch it into your brain 1,000 times to create a habit. Habit learning is called striatal memory or striatum memory.
Declarative memory uses your Medial Temporal Lobe
and you can recall the telephone number
at will. Habit (Striatum
) memory activates the telephone number only when you are at the
phone and uses your right-hemisphere's skill Pattern Recognition.
Research indicates Declarative and Habit memory compete with each other during distraction.
When in doubt the brain chooses Habit memory because it is automatic.
Google Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 7.25.07 Russell A. Poldrack UCLA.
Poldrack and coworkers tested the hypothesis that distraction can change the way a task is learned. In their experiment, they played a series of high and low tones while asking subjects to do a simple probabilistic classification task. In the single task (ST) case, subjects only learned to predict the weather. In the dual task (DT) case, subjects were also asked to count the number of high pitched tones. The ability to use the learned knowledge was found to be about the same in either case. However, subjects were significantly better at identifying cue-associations (a test of declarative knowledge) when trained under ST rather than DT conditions. Furthermore, fMRI
showed activity in the hippocampus
was associated with performance under ST, but not DT conditions, whereas activity in the putamen
showed the opposite correlation. The authors conclude that while distraction may not decrease the level of learning, it can result in a reduced ability to flexibly use that knowledge
Motor learning
Motor learning is a “relatively permanent” change, resulting from practice or a novel experience, in the capability for responding...
. The capital of a state is a declarative piece of information, while knowing how to ride a bike is not. Episodic memory
Episodic memory
Episodic memory is the memory of autobiographical events that can be explicitly stated. Semantic and episodic memory together make up the category of declarative memory, which is one of the two major divisions in memory...
and semantic memory
Semantic memory
Semantic memory refers to the memory of meanings, understandings, and other concept-based knowledge unrelated to specific experiences. The conscious recollection of factual information and general knowledge about the world is generally thought to be independent of context and personal relevance...
are a further division of declarative information.
There are two ways to learn a telephone number, memorize it using your Declarative Memory or
punch it into your brain 1,000 times to create a habit. Habit learning is called striatal memory or striatum memory.
Declarative memory uses your Medial Temporal Lobe
Temporal lobe
The temporal lobe is a region of the cerebral cortex that is located beneath the Sylvian fissure on both cerebral hemispheres of the mammalian brain....
and you can recall the telephone number
at will. Habit (Striatum
Striatum
The striatum, also known as the neostriatum or striate nucleus, is a subcortical part of the forebrain. It is the major input station of the basal ganglia system. The striatum, in turn, gets input from the cerebral cortex...
) memory activates the telephone number only when you are at the
phone and uses your right-hemisphere's skill Pattern Recognition.
Research indicates Declarative and Habit memory compete with each other during distraction.
When in doubt the brain chooses Habit memory because it is automatic.
Google Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 7.25.07 Russell A. Poldrack UCLA.
Poldrack and coworkers tested the hypothesis that distraction can change the way a task is learned. In their experiment, they played a series of high and low tones while asking subjects to do a simple probabilistic classification task. In the single task (ST) case, subjects only learned to predict the weather. In the dual task (DT) case, subjects were also asked to count the number of high pitched tones. The ability to use the learned knowledge was found to be about the same in either case. However, subjects were significantly better at identifying cue-associations (a test of declarative knowledge) when trained under ST rather than DT conditions. Furthermore, fMRI
Functional magnetic resonance imaging
Functional magnetic resonance imaging or functional MRI is a type of specialized MRI scan used to measure the hemodynamic response related to neural activity in the brain or spinal cord of humans or other animals. It is one of the most recently developed forms of neuroimaging...
showed activity in the hippocampus
Hippocampus
The hippocampus is a major component of the brains of humans and other vertebrates. It belongs to the limbic system and plays important roles in the consolidation of information from short-term memory to long-term memory and spatial navigation. Humans and other mammals have two hippocampi, one in...
was associated with performance under ST, but not DT conditions, whereas activity in the putamen
Putamen
The putamen is a round structure located at the base of the forebrain . The putamen and caudate nucleus together form the dorsal striatum. It is also one of the structures that comprises the basal ganglia. Through various pathways, the putamen is connected to the substantia nigra and globus pallidus...
showed the opposite correlation. The authors conclude that while distraction may not decrease the level of learning, it can result in a reduced ability to flexibly use that knowledge
Further reading
- K. J. Holyoak & R. G. Morrison (Eds.) 2005. Cambridge Handbook of Thinking and Reasoning. New York: Cambridge University Press.