Psychology Colloquium: Hippocampus and the formation of generalizable knowledge
Speaker
Dr. Dasa Zeithamova, University of Oregon
Title
Hippocampus and the formation of generalizable knowledge
Abstract
Memory-based cognition depends on both the ability to remember specific details of individual experiences and the ability to combine information across experiences to form generalizable knowledge. A hippocampal role in rapid encoding of specific events is long established. More recent research also demonstrates hippocampal contributions to generalization, but their mechanisms are debated. I will discuss my lab’s work on concept generalization that allows us to simultaneously track specific and generalized representations in the behavior and the brain. We demonstrate that the hippocampus contributes specific past memories to generalization decisions but also forms generalized memory representations that abstract novel information across experiences. The results reconcile competing theories of concept representation and highlight the broader role of the hippocampus in cognition that goes beyond remembering the past.
Faculty Host
Dr. Chandan Vaidya
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