Download Consolidation theory

Consolidation theory
CONSOLIDATION THEORY
• In order for information to be transferred from Short-Term
Memory to Long-Term Memory a period of time for
consolidation is required to ensure it is permanently
stored.
• Consolidation refers to the physical changes are made to
the neurons in the brain when something new is being
learned and immediately following learning.
• These changes form the ‘memory’ of what has been
learned.
• If there is a disruption during the consolidation phase the
information may not be embed in Long-Term Memory.
• Consolidation is a gradual process that takes up to
30
minutes.
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Consolidation Theory (cont...)
• EVIDENCE for the Consolidation Theory:
– People who have experienced brain trauma reported
they could not remember anything that occurred during
a period of about 30 minutes prior to the brain injury
– Animal research shows that rats that were given ElectroConvulsive Shock Therapy after learning to run a maze
could only remember what they had learnt if the shocks
occurred after 60 minutes of learning the maze.
• It has also been proposed that after a memory has
been activated and retrieved from LTM it needs to
be consolidated again in order to be stored back in
LTM. This is called Reconsolidation
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