Learning and memory.

Learning may be defined as a relatively permanent change in behavior, capability, or attitude that is acquired through experience and cannot be attributed to illness, injury, or maturation. We learn in three different ways: Classical conditioning, operant or instrumental conditioning, and observational learning. Classical or Pavlovian conditioning: stimulus -- Any event or object in the environment to which an organism responds; plural is stimuli. unconditioned stimulus (US): A stimulus that elicits a specific response without …

…the time of learning and at the time of retrieval. Another reason for forgetting is interference. Interference is of two types: retroactive interference and proactive interference. In retroactive interference, new information interferes with old information. In proactive interference, old information interferes with new information. Repression, according to some psychologists, is another cause of forgetting. The process of consolidation reveals that memory traces must be strengthened before they can become a part of our long-term store.