Chapter 6 Flashcards
Learning
What is the difference between classical and operant conditioning?
Classical conditioning involves learning to associate two stimuli, where one (a neutral stimulus) comes to elicit a response when paired with another stimulus (an unconditioned stimulus). Operant conditioning involves learning to associate a behavior with its consequences, where behaviors followed by rewards are strengthened, and behaviors followed by punishment are weakened.
What is the law of effect in operant conditioning?
Proposed by Edward Thorndike, the law of effect states that behaviors followed by satisfying outcomes are more likely to be repeated, while behaviors followed by unpleasant outcomes are less likely to occur again.
Explain the process of shaping in operant conditioning.
Shaping is the technique of reinforcing successive approximations of a desired behavior. Instead of waiting for the exact behavior, behaviors that are closer to the desired action are rewarded until the individual performs the complete behavior.
Describe the concept of schedules of reinforcement.
Reinforcement schedules determine how often a behavior is rewarded. They can be continuous (rewarding every instance of the behavior) or partial (rewarding behavior only sometimes). Partial reinforcement can be fixed or variable in terms of intervals of time or number of responses, and it generally leads to more resistant behaviors than continuous reinforcement.
What are the four components of classical conditioning, according to Pavlov?
1) Unconditioned Stimulus (US): Naturally triggers a response (e.g., food causing salivation).
2) Unconditioned Response (UR): Natural reaction to the unconditioned stimulus (e.g., salivation).
3) Conditioned Stimulus (CS): Previously neutral stimulus that, after association with the US, triggers a conditioned response (e.g., a bell ringing).
4) Conditioned Response (CR): Learned response to the conditioned stimulus (e.g., salivating at the sound of the bell).
