Psychology

Learning and Memory has for a long time been used interchangeably hence contributing to confusion. However, experts who have extensively studied the two consider them as different entities. Researchers define learning as a process that will change successive behavior while memory is defined as the ability to remember preceding encounters. Language is acquired by studying but we use our memory to speak it by retrieving the words already acquired through learning. In a nut shell, we can conclude that memory is a useful tool in all form of learning since it allows us to store and later it enables us retrieve the stored contents. Memory can be regarded to as a record of the learned materials. It is therefore hard to separate the two since they work hand in hand.

According to Howard (1995), memory stores the acquired new knowledge while stored knowledge forms a link to acquisition of new skills thus fostering positively on the learning process. Howard further notes that in life everyday and everything a person does entails a learning process and therefore human beings need to constantly update their memory to support daily activities such as how they view the universe, reacting to different stimuli, how they work etc.

However, much learning is needed in young children who are basically new to the environment so as to improve their understanding of the natural language, culture and others. Their understanding of the above is greatly influenced by the ability to store information. This leads to quest for knowing how information is acquired, processed, stored and eventually how it is retrieved to accomplish an intended task (Newman  Newman, 2008).

This research paper therefore would expound on the nueroanatomy moral processes related to learning and memory while trying to explain on the interrelationship that exist between the two. This research will also highlight on the importance of lifelong learning and brain development in an individual.  

Neuroanatomy of and Moral Processes Related to Learning and Memory
As highlighted at the beginning of this paper, both learning and memory depend on each other for better performance of an individual. As a lay man would put it, learning is a dynamic process of knowledge acquisition while memory is the storage of the already acquired knowledge. This is usually accomplished by the brain which in an adult weighs approximately 1.5 kilograms and is characterized by a mass of grey matter. Studies have shown that infants at birth have almost the same number of brain cells like that of an adult but this number is subject to change as they progress in life and learning (Lowery, 1998).

The human brain shrinks as one grows old. This is mostly characterized by the speed at which old people do their daily chores. However, aged people never change the way they think. This means that regardless of age anyone can learn new skills or a new career as long as they are ready and willing to learn. In order to understand what learning is and the process that is involved we shall first consider both the mind which truly we do not know what it is or what is thinking, but its a common  believe that we think with our brains. We shall therefore treat learning and thinking as biological processes occurring in our systems.

As shown above, the brain is a mass of cells that are connected together and therefore no neuron can work in isolation. The neurons give the brain the ability to perceive and understand the environment. The brain, however complex it is, has different parts responsible for different functions such as sight, taste, and touch in addition to other million functions. Each of these parts is joined to each other by axons. Paths taken by signals from one end of the brain to the other are non-specific and it takes different forms such as a loop and converges. The process of learning in most cases is a try and error method made possible by repeated use of neural cells. This can be exemplified by a toddler trying to assimilate and understand the environment. It is observed that a toddler will often than not make mistakes on every attempt to accomplish an activity, for instance holding a spoon. Nevertheless, continual repetition of the same activity will be picked and registered by the brain. In future, stimulus is recognized and induces appropriate response.

Interrelationship that Exist in Learning and Memory                            
There are three steps that form the basis of memory functions namely encoding, storage and retrieval. Encoding can be viewed to as the placement of information into memory as a code, while storage is keeping information until a need arises to use it and lastly retrieval is bringing out the stored memory ready for use. It should be noted that retrieval which is the same as remembering is the end product of a new learned experience, where we first hear, encode and then store.

There are three forms of memory which are sensory, short and long-term memory. Sensory memory usually registers incoming reactants for a very short period. Compared to others, it is a high capacity system that records all sensory entries in their unaltered form like visual and audio stimulus (Quinn, 2000). Whenever a stimulus is received in the sensory memory, information is relayed to the long-term memory to check if there is an already existing form of that stimulus. In a nut shell, the function of sensory memory is to hold stimuli for an extended time just sufficient enough to allow for a selective attention to the useful ones.

The short-term memory also known as working memory is characterized by a reduced capacity to store information. The information in short-term memory is stored in small bits or chunks. Each bit may represent a unit where information occurs in fragments. More information can be added to the stored information. This allows space for data increment at any one given time by incorporating more received material into each bit. Other than the storage function, working memory has control processes like rehearsal. The rehearsal process can be subdivided into maintenance and elaborative. Maintenance rehearsal is characterized by going over and over a piece of information so that it can be kept there. This does not interfere with the long term retrieval of the information.

Elaborative rehearsal is concerned with finer processing of data by comparing it to the already existing memory in the long-term memory. Due to this function the short-term memory can act both as a tool for thinking and language by providing a working medium and hence the name working memory. Long-term memory has no limited capacity for storing information which has been subjected to complete processing. Unlike working memory which stores information only for a few seconds, long-term memory stores information for days or even decades.

For the brain to learn new things and hence improve the quality of life, it has to build new connections through exercise. It is by creating new connections that will keep brain nimble. Stimulating the brain through dancing, reading and practicing other mental activities contributes greatly to longevity and quality of life. According to the Einsteins aging study, brain stimulating activities and hobbies such as games and puzzles can help in preventing dementia and Alzheimers disease (Verghese et al., 2003).