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•a description of the three topics, concepts, or theories you learned about in the module that you consider most important
•an explanation of how you can apply what you’ve learned about each of these three concepts to your own life
•at least one paragraph for each topic, for a total of three paragraphs

Throughout reading and answering the assessments for this module (Learning and Memory), I have learned a great deal about how our brains process information, how we can be conditioned to react a certain way, how we store so much memory and a lot more. The three most important aspects of this module to me include The Components of Classical Conditioning, the “Storage” lesson, and “The Improving Retrieval ” section that I have read. The first section mentioned is the Classical conditioning section. Classical Conditioning is “a method of conditioning in which associations are made between a natural stimulus and a learned, neutral stimulus”. There are five components of classical conditioning developed by Ivan Pavlov. These include the unconditioned stimulus, Unconditioned response, Neutral stimulus, conditioned stimulus and the conditioned response. In an easier context, people can be conditioned to react certain ways in different situations. For example “Every time someone flushes a toilet in the apartment building, the shower becomes very hot and causes the person to jump back. Over time, the person begins to jump back automatically after hearing the flush, before the water temperature changes.” This is a real life scenario of when classical conditioning would occur. (Example came from http://www.ar.cc.mn.us/biederman/courses/p1110/conditioning2.htm) The second most important aspect that I listed is the Storage lesson. Our brains are vastly complex and can store more information than we would ever need. “Then why do we forget some -things?”, something one might wonder? Well, our brains are “fairly good at distinguishing what is important from what we might only temporarily need”. After new information is taken in, it is placed into either short term memory, our long term memory, or our working memory. “Short-term memory is time limited and memories decay over time”. Our bodies have several different types of memory storage. One of these includes our sensory memory. This includes many of the environmental factors around us. “Memory is one of our most important cognitive functions”. The third and final Topic that I learned about and think is very important is Improving Retrieval. Once in a while, people get a “Tip-of-The-Tongue” moment. This is when you try to remember something and it is “on the tip of your tongue, but you just can’t put your finger on what it is. There are several ways to make these “experiences” less frequent such as rehearsal with distributed practice. Rehearsal with distributed practice is repetition of something important such as a test or directions somewhere. Distributed practice is when you study little by little over an extended period. This is a lot better than mass rehearsal which is trying to cram all the information at once in a short period of time. All three of these lessons/Topics that I talked about come together to make up our learning and memory. Our brains help us do everything and it is amazing how the mind works. Reading and completing this module has improved my knowledge about our many cognitive/sensory functions.