Ch 06: Learning

Question 1

acqusition

Answer 1

learning phase during which a conditioned response is established

(2e: period of initial learning in classical conditioning in which a human or an animal begins to connect a neutral stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus so that the neutral stimulus will begin to elicit the conditioned response)

Question 2

classical conditioning
(Pavlovian)

Answer 2

form of learning in which animals come to respond to a previously neutral stimulus that had been paired with another stimulus that elicits an automatic response

(2e: learning in which the stimulus or experience occurs before the behavior and then gets paired or associated with the behavior)

Question 3

cognitive map

Answer 3

mental representation of how a physical space is organized

(2e: mental picture of the layout of the environment)

Question 4

conditioned response
(CR)

Answer 4

response previously associated with nonneutral stimulus that is elicited by a neutral stimulus through conditioning

(2e: response caused by the conditioned stimulus)

Question 5

conditioned stimulus
(CS)

Answer 5

initially neutral stimulus that comes to elicit a response as a result of association with an unconditioned stimulus

2e: stimulus that elicits a response due to its being paired with an unconditioned stimulus

Question 6

continuous reinforcement

Answer 6

reinforcing a behavior every time it occurs, resulting in faster learning but faster extinction than only occasional reinforcement

2e: rewarding a behavior every time it occurs

Question 7

discriminative stimulus

Answer 7

stimulus that signals the presence of reinforcement

Question 8

extinction

Answer 8

gradual reduction and eventual elimination of the conditioned response after the conditioned stimulus is presented repeatedly without the unconditioned stimulus

2e: decrease in the conditioned response when the unconditioned stimulus is no longer paired with the conditioned stimulus

Question 9

fetishism

Answer 9

sexual attraction to nonliving things

Question 10

fixed interval schedule
(FI)

Answer 10

pattern in which we provide reinforcement for a response at least once following a specified time interval

2e: fixed interval reinforcement schedule: behavior is rewarded after a set amount of time

Question 11

fixed ratio schedule
(FR)

Answer 11

pattern in which we provide reinforcement following a regular number of responses

2e: fixed ratio reinforcement schedule; set number of responses must occur before a behavior is rewarded

Question 12

habituation

Answer 12

process of responding less strongly over time to repeated stimuli

Question 13

higher-order conditioning

Answer 13

developing a conditioned response to a conditioned stimulus by virtue of its association with another conditioned stimulus

2e: (also, second-order conditioning) using a conditioned stimulus to condition a neutral stimulus

Question 14

insight

Answer 14

grasping the underlying nature of a problem

Question 15

instinctive drift

Answer 15

tendency for animals to return to innate behaviors following repeated reinforcement

Question 16

latent inhibition

Answer 16

difficulty in establishing classical conditioning to a conditioned stimulus we’ve repeatedly experienced alone, that is, without the unconditioned stimulus

Question 17

latent learning

Answer 17

learning that’s not directly observable

2e: learning that occurs, but it may not be evident until there is a reason to demonstrate it

Question 18

law of effect

Answer 18

principle asserting that if a stimulus followed by a behavior results in a reward, the stimulus is more likely to give rise to the behavior in the future

2e: behavior that is followed by consequences satisfying to the organism will be repeated and behaviors that are followed by unpleasant consequences will be discouraged

Question 19

learning

Answer 19

change in an organism’s behavior or thought as a result of experience

2e: change in behavior or knowledge that is the result of experience

Question 20

learning style

Answer 20

an individual’s optimal method of acquiring new information

Question 21

mirror neuron

Answer 21

cell in the prefrontal cortex that becomes activated when an animal performs an action or observes it being performed

Question 22

negative reinforcement

Answer 22

removal of a stimulus that strengthens the probability of the behavior

2e: taking away an undesirable stimulus to increase a behavior

Question 23

observational learning

Answer 23

learning by watching others

Question 24

operant conditioning

Answer 24

learning controlled by the consequences of the organism’s behavior

2e: form of learning in which the stimulus/experience happens after the behavior is demonstrated

Question 25

partial reinforcement

Answer 25

occasional reinforcement of a behavior, resulting in slower extinction than if the behavior had been *reinforced continually *

2e: rewarding behavior only some of the time

Question 26

positive reinforcement

Answer 26

presentation of a stimulus that strengthens the probability of the behavior

2e: adding a desirable stimulus to increase a behavior

Question 27

preparedness

Answer 27

evolutionary predisposition to learn some pairings of feared stimuli over others owning to their survival value

Question 28

primary reinforcer

Answer 28

item or outcome that naturally increases the target behavior

2e: has innate reinforcing qualities (e.g., food, water, shelter, sex)

Question 29

punishment

Answer 29

outcome or consequence of a behavior that weakens the probability of the behavior

2e: implementation of a consequence in order to decrease a behavior

Question 30

reinforcement

Answer 30

outcome or consequence of a behavior that weakens the probability of the behavior

2e: implementation of a consequence in order to increase a behavior

Question 31

renewal effect

Answer 31

sudden reemergence of a conditioned response following extinction when an animal is returned to the environment in which the conditioned response was acquired

Question 32

schedule of reinforcement

Answer 32

pattern of reinforcing a behavior

Question 33

shaping

Answer 33

conditioning a target behavior by progressively reinforcing behaviors that come closer and closer to the target

2e: rewarding successive approximations toward a target behavior

Question 34

Skinner box

Answer 34

small nonhuman animal chamber constructed by Skinner to allow sustained periods of conditioning to be administered and behaviors to be recorded unsupervised

Question 35

spontaneous recovery

Answer 35

sudden reemergence of an extinct conditioned response after a delay in exposure to the conditioned stimulus

2e: return of a previously extinguished conditioned response

Question 36

stimulus discrimination

Answer 36

process by which organisms display a less pronounced conditioned response to conditioned stimuli that differ from the original conditioned stimulus

2e: ability to respond differently to similar stimuli

Question 37

stimulus generalization

Answer 37

process by which conditioned stimuli similar, but not identical, to the original conditioned stimulus elicit a conditioned response

2e: demonstrating the conditioned response to stimuli that are similar to the conditioned stimulus

Question 38

unconditioned response
(UCR)

Answer 38

automatic response to nonneutral stimulus that does not need to be learned

2e: natural (unlearned) behavior to a given stimulus

Question 39

unconditioned stimulus
(UCS)

Answer 39

stimulus that elicits an automatic response

2e: stimulus that elicits a reflexive response

Question 40

variable interval schedule
(VI)

Answer 40

pattern in which we provide reinforcement for a response at least once during an average time interval, with the interval varying randomly

2e: behavior is rewarded after unpredictable amounts of time have passed

Question 41

variable ration schedule
(VR)

Answer 41

pattern in which we provide reinforcement after a specific number of responses on average, with the number varying randomly

2e: number of responses differ before a behavior is rewarded