Behaviorism - Unit 3

Question 1

Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS)

Answer 1

Classical Conditioning. Stimulus that naturally & automatically triggers a response. (ex. food, mint)

Question 2

Unconditioned Response (UCR)

Answer 2

Classical Conditioning. Unlearned, naturally occurring response to UCS. (ex. salivating b/c of food)

Question 3

Conditioned Stimulus (CS)

Answer 3

Classical conditioning. Originally irrelevant stimulus that, after association with UCS, becomes to trigger a response.

Question 4

Conditioned Response (CR)

Answer 4

Classical conditioning. Learned response to a previously neutral stimulus.

Question 5

Stimulus Discrimination

Answer 5

Classical Conditioning. Response to only the specific stimulus that has been conditioned.

Question 6

Cycle of Conditioning

Answer 6

1. Acquisition: (CS-UCS pairings): Learning when a response is first established and gradually strengthened.
2. Extinction (CS alone): Leads to the gradual weakening and eventual disappearance of CR to CS.
3. Spontaneous 1st & 2nd recovery: Reappearance after an extinguished CR.

Question 7

Generalization

Answer 7

Classical Conditioning. Tendency to respond in the same way to different but similar stimuli.

Question 8

Little Albert Experiment

Answer 8

Baby was taught to be afraid of rats when it was paired with a loud sound that scared him (US: loud noise, UR: scared of noise, CS: rat paired with noise, CR: scared of rat.

Question 9

Contingency Theory

Answer 9

Stimulus must provide organism with a reliable signal that certain events will take place.

Question 10

Taste Aversion

Answer 10

Biological tendency which organism avid food with certain taste after not liking it once.

Question 11

Biological Constraints

Answer 11

Instinctive drift: Animal revert to predisposed patterns. At stress disregards trained behavior.

Question 12

Operant conditioning

Answer 12

Voluntary behavior is modified by consequences.

Question 13

Law of Effect

Answer 13

Operant conditioning. Pressing level in box (behavior) led to reward of escape (stimulus).

Question 14

Operant Chamber

Answer 14

A chamber containing a bar or key that an animal can manipulate to obtain a food or water reinforcer; attached devices record the animal’s rate of bar pressing or key pecking.

Question 15

Shaping

Answer 15

Reinforcers guide behavior toward closer and closer approximations of the desired behavior.

Question 16

Primary reinforcer

Answer 16

An innately reinforcing stimulus, such as one that satisfies a biological need (example: water, food, air, etc)

Question 17

Secondary Reinforcer

Answer 17

Stimuli that acquire their reinforcing power by their learned association with primary reinforcers (money, grades, success, etc)

Question 18

Positive reinforcement

Answer 18

Strengthens a response by presenting a stimulus after a response. Example: Getting praise from your teacher for answering a question.