Ch 6: Learning

Question 1

learning

Answer 1

change in behavior or thought following expression

Question 2

habituation

Answer 2

respond less strongly over time to repeated stimuli

Question 3

sensitization

Answer 3

respond more strongly overt time

Question 4

classical conditioning

Answer 4

learning through mere association
ex. Pavlov’s dog

Question 5

neutral stimulus

Answer 5

stimulus that at first elicits no response
- later becomes the conditioned stimulus
ex. ringing of a bell

Question 6

unconditioned stimulus

Answer 6

leads to an automatic response
ex. the food in pavlov’s experiment

Question 7

unconditioned response

Answer 7

automatic response to a stimulus
ex. dog salivating for food

Question 8

conditioned stimulus

Answer 8

can eventually trigger a conditioned response
- ringing of a bell

Question 9

conditioned response

Answer 9

a learned response to previously neutral stimulus
ex. salivating at the sound of the bell

Question 10

acquisition

Answer 10

learning the conditioned response

Question 11

exitinction

Answer 11

the gradual weakening of a conditioned response that results in the behavior decreasing or disappearing
- the CR disappears but is not permanently gone

Question 12

extinction burst

Answer 12

heightened response to absent UCS

Question 13

spontaneous recovery

Answer 13

when a behavior that is believed to be extinct unexpectedly and quickly returns after a period of rest or lessened response

Question 14

renewal

Answer 14

the return of a response to an extinguished conditioned stimulus following movement away from the context in which extinction occurred

Question 15

stimulus generalization

Answer 15

when stimuli are similar to the CS, they also elicit the CR
ex. little albert experiment

Question 16

stimulus discrimination

Answer 16

when a particular CS provokes the CR

Question 17

higher order conditioning

Answer 17

creating a new CR by pairing a NS with the CS
- using the CS as if it were the UCS

Question 18

operant conditioning

Answer 18

changes in behavior in response to rewards and punishment

Question 19

law of effect

Answer 19

if a behavioral response to a stimulus leads to a desirable effect, that behavior is more likely to be repeated in the future (to that stimulus)

Question 20

reinforcement

Answer 20

outcomes that increase the probability of a response

Question 21

positive reinforcement

Answer 21

giving a desirable stimulus

Question 22

negative reinforcement

Answer 22

taking away an undesired stimulus

Question 23

punishment

Answer 23

any outcome that decreases the probability of a response

Question 24

positive punishment

Answer 24

adding an undesirable stimulus

Question 25

negative punishment

Answer 25

taking away a desirable stimulus

Question 26

discriminative stimulus

Answer 26

signals the opportunity for reinforcement

Question 27

continuous reinforcement

Answer 27

reward given every time

Question 28

partial (intermittent) reinforcement

Answer 28

response rewarded only some of the time

Question 29

fixed ratio

Answer 29

number of times an action must be done in order to receive an award

Question 30

variable ratio

Answer 30

receiving an award after an unpredictable number of responses

Question 31

fixed interval

Answer 31

receiving an award after a certain amount of time

Question 32

variable interval

Answer 32

receiving an award after an unpredictable amount of time

Question 33

primary reinforcers

Answer 33

things that naturally increase the target behavior due to basic needs
ex. food

Question 34

secondary reinforcers

Answer 34

things that we have learned to value
ex. money, good grades

Question 35

stimulus response (behaviorists)

Answer 35

suggests that behavior is influenced by the consequences of one’s actions

Question 36

stimulus organism response theory (cognitivists)

Answer 36

interpretation, perception, and motivation all affect response

Question 37

observational learning

Answer 37

learning by watching others
- no reinforcement

Question 37

latent learning

Answer 37

learning that is not directly observable
- reinforcement may not be necessary for learning

Question 38

mirror neurons

Answer 38

fire when watching others perform certain actions, as if we were doing the action ourselves
- implicated in empathy

Question 39

insight learning

Answer 39

“aha” moments
- sudden realization of a solution to a problem

Question 40

equipotentiality

Answer 40

claim that we can condition all neutral stimuli into CS equally well

Question 41

preparedness and phobias

Answer 41

evolutionary predisposed for fear of certain things

Question 42

instinctive drift

Answer 42

tendency to return to performing innate behaviors rather than the CR

Question 43

sleep assisted learning

Answer 43

an attempt to convey information to a sleeping person, typically by playing a sound recording to them while they sleep