Learning and Memory in the Brain

A Certificate of Participation is awarded to participants who contribute constructively to weekly discussions and exercises/learning activities for the duration of the course. This tutor-led, cohort-based online course is 7-weeks in duration and is made up of 5 teaching units. Teaching Week 1 - Learning in the brain This week we will look to introduce ourselves to the neuroscience of learning and memory, and our limitations in its understanding. We will cover the reconstructive nature of memories, false memories, and their implications.  Learning objectives: - Understood what neurons and synapses are, and their role in memory formation. - Know the main brain regions implicated in memory and learning. - Learnt that memory is fallible and changeable, and thought about what this means for e.g. eyewitness testimony. Teaching Week 2 - Types of memory This week we will discuss the distinctions that can be made between different types of memory, and their usefulness. Learning objectives: - Understood the difference between short term and long term memories. - Explored different types of long term memory, including explicit and implicit, and the brain regions involved. - Looked at how recall and recognition memory differ. Teaching Week - 3 Brain changes through the ages This we will cover the way the brain changes as we progress from babies to children, teens, and adults and as we age. We will explore how these changes impact our ability to learn at each stage in our life. Learning objectives: - Understood how the infant’s brain is primed for learning, and how different abilities mature at different times. Examined the evidence for critical periods in human learning. - Looked at the teenage brain, and its implications for teen behaviour. - Gained knowledge about healthy aging, and the brain and behaviour changes associated with it. Teaching Week 4 - Memory problems This week we will cover a variety of conditions that can affect memory, including traumatic brain injury, stroke and dementia. We will look at the portrayal of amnesia in the media and its accuracy and discuss what happens in the brain to cause these symptoms.  Learning objectives: - Understood that damage to different areas of the brain can cause different types of memory problem. - Looked at psychological causes of amnesia and the controversies surrounding them. - Covered childhood amnesia, and our limits in explaining it. - Become aware of the limits in our understanding of dementia, and the direction future research is likely to take. Teaching Week 5 - Brain Boosts This week will provide practical, science-based tips and tricks that you can use in your daily lives to help improve their memory and learning. Learning objectives: - Understood that psychology, not neuroscience, currently provides us with the most practical guidance. - Tried a variety of memory boosts to determine which work best for them, and thought about how they could apply them in their lives. - Analysed how the information they have learnt in the course can help make them better learners.