reference memory

in animal cognition, the representation of an association between objects, spatial locations, or other stimuli that remains consistent across several trials of an experimental session and is used to guide behavior. Matching to sample and various other tasks involving simultaneous or successive discrimination are commonly used to assess reference memory in nonhuman animals. For example, a pigeon presented with both a green and a red disk is rewarded with a food pellet for pecking the green one. If the green disk remains the correct choice across all trials in which the two objects are presented, the pigeon relies on reference memory to retain this information and choose the correct disk. Compare working memory. [initially described in 1978 by German-born U.S. psychologist Werner Konstantin Honig (1932–2001) and subsequently elaborated by U.S. physiological psychologist David Stuart Olton (1943–1994) and various colleagues]

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Psychology term of the day

October 5th 2024

resilience

n. the process and outcome of successfully adapting to difficult or challenging life experiences, especially through mental, emotional, and behavioral flexibility and adjustment to external and internal demands. A number of factors contribute to how well people adapt to adversities, predominant among them (a) the ways in which individuals view and engage with the world, (b) the availability and quality of social resources, and (c) specific coping strategies. Psychological research demonstrates that the resources and skills associated with more positive adaptation (i.e., greater resilience) can be cultivated and practiced. Also called psychological resilience. See also coping behavior; coping-skills training. —resilient adj.