ch. 5 Flashcards
classical conditioning
neutral stimulus comes to elicit a response after it is paired with a stimulus that naturally brings about that response
neutral stimulus
before conditioning does not naturally cause response
unconditioned stimulus
naturally brings a response without having been learned
unconditioned response
is natural and needs no training
conditioned stimulus
once-neutral, paired with unconditioned stimulus
conditioned response
after conditioned follows a previously neutral stimulus
“Little Albert”
produced conditioned fear
phobias
intense, irrational fears
extinction
previously conditioned response decreases in frequency and disappears
spontaneous recovery
reemergence of extinguished conditioned response
stimulus generalization
stimuli that are similar to the original stimulus produce the same response
stimulus discrimination
two stimuli are sufficiently distinct from each other
operant conditioning
voluntary response is strengthened or weakened depending on consequences
voluntary responses
organism performs deliberately
Thorndike’s law of effect
responses that lead to satisfying consequences are more likely to be repeated
organism makes a direct connection between stimulus and response without..
any awareness that the connection exists (thorndike)
Skinner box
a chamber with a highly controlled environment used to study operant conditioning w animals
reinforcement
stimulus increases the probability that a preceding behavior will be repeated
reinforcer
any stimulus that increases the probability that a preceding behavior will occur again
primary reinforcer
biological need
ex. food
secondary reinforcer
association with a primary reinforcer
ex. money
schedule of reinforcement
pattern of frequency and timing of reinforcement following desired behavior
continuous reinforcement schedule
reinforcing of a behavior every time it occurs
partial (intermittent) reinforcement schedule
reinforcing of a behavior some but not all of the time
partial reinforcement schedules maintain performance longer
than do continuous reinforcement schedules before extinction occurs
fixed-ratio schedule
reinforcement is given only after a specific number of responses are made
variable-ratio schedule
reinforcement occurs after an average number of responses, but the reinforcement schedule is unpredictable
fixed-interval schedule
reinforcement is provided for a response only after a fixed time period has elapsed
variable-interval schedule
the time between reinforcements varies around some average rather than being fixed
shaping
teaching complex behavior by rewarding closer approximations of desired behavior
cognitive learning theory
focus on the thought process that underlie learning
latent learning
new behavior not demonstrated until some incentive is provided for displaying it
observational learning
learning by observing the behavior of another person
media violence
predisposes & desensitizes
