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Declarative Memory Essay

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Aim: To investigate the effect of the stress hormone cortisol on verbal declarative memory.

Procedure: There were three different groups. Group 1 had tablets containing a high dose of cortisol, group 2 had tablets with a low dose of cortisol, and group 3 had placebo tablets. Then all the participants in the three groups had to listen to a prose paragraph and had to recall it.

Result: Compared to group 2 and group 3, group 1 demonstrated the worst performance.
Aim: To study the role of environmental factors on brain plasticity.

Procedure: Divided the rats into two different groups. Group 1 was placed in a decent environment with a lot of toys and group 2 was placed in an unsatisfying environment with no toys. The rats spent thirty to sixty …show more content…

One group was placed in an enriched environment and the other was placed in an impoverished environment. Ten to twelve rats were together in a cage in an enriched environment where they had toys to play with. They also received maze training. However, the rats that were assigned to be in an impoverished environment were placed individually in a cage and had no toys to play with. Both groups of rats spent thirty to sixty days in their respective environment before being killed.

Result: The rats in the enriched environment had thicker and higher weight of the cortex. In addition, they had developed more acetylcholine receptors in the cerebral cortex.
Aim: To measure the volume of the hippocampus based on the theory that prolonged stress may reduce the volume of the hippocampus due to increased cortisol levels.

Procedure: The participants were veterans and female adults who had experienced early childhood sexual abuse. Some had developed PTSD, but not all. MRI scans were made of the brains of the participants and participants completed memory tests.

Result:
The researchers found that there were deficits in short-term memory and then performed MRI scans of the participants’

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