Synonyms
Definition
The concept of adaptive memory and learning has two defining assumptions: First, the capacity to preserve and recover information over time is adaptive, meaning that the systems that enable memory and learning are goal-directed and functionally designed. Rather than domain-general, operating the same regardless of input and domain, species’ retention systems are “tuned” to solve particular problems (such as remembering the locations of food sources or predators). Second, as products of natural selection, these systems likely bear the specific imprint of nature’s criterion – the enhancement of fitness (survival en route to differential reproduction). As a result, the ability to learn and remember will likely be influenced by the fitness relevance of the information and tasks involved.
Theoretical Background
Most of the adaptive tasks animals have to solve during their lifetime do not have a stable solution. Animals cannot know...
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Nairne, J.S., Vasconcelos, M., Pandeirada, J.N.S. (2012). Adaptive Memory and Learning. In: Seel, N.M. (eds) Encyclopedia of the Sciences of Learning. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1428-6_1636
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1428-6_1636
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