MCAT Basics (from MedSchoolCoach) Learning and Memory
Oct 16, 2025
Delve into the fascinating world of learning and memory as crucial elements for acing the MCAT! Explore how the hippocampus and amygdala play vital roles in memory formation. Discover different types of memory, including explicit, implicit, and working memory. Learn about classical and operant conditioning, along with diverse learning methods such as observational learning. Finally, find essential tips on reinforcing key concepts and strategies to prepare effectively as test day approaches!
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Memory As An Information Processor
- Memory works like an information-processing system: encoding, storage, and retrieval shape learning.
- Sensory, working, and long-term memory serve distinct roles in how information is taken in and used.
Sensory Memory Is Short and Modality-Specific
- Sensory memory briefly buffers accurate impressions from the five senses before they vanish.
- Echoic (≈3s), iconic (≈0.5s), and haptic modalities differ in duration and fidelity.
Grandma's Pie Links Smell And Emotion
- Sam uses the smell of grandma's pumpkin pie to illustrate olfaction's emotional power.
- He connects the olfactory bulb's proximity to amygdala and hippocampus as a mechanism for strong smell-emotion links.