Chapter 6 - Learning

Question 1

Behaviorism

Answer 1

focus on observing and controlling behavior

Question 2

Associative learning

Answer 2

Involves connecting certain stimuli or events that occur together in the environment

Question 3

Pavlov

Answer 3

Russian scientist, performed research on dogs and know for his classical conditioning

Question 4

Classical conditioning

Answer 4

certain kinds of experience make actions more or less likely

Question 5

Unconditioned stimulus

Answer 5

stimulus that elicits a reflexive response

Question 6

Unconditioned response

Answer 6

natural (unlearned) behavior to a given stimulus

Question 7

Conditioned stimulus

Answer 7

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

Question 8

Conditioned response

Answer 8

response caused by the conditioned stimulus

Question 9

Neutral stimulus

Answer 9

stimulus that does not initially elicit a response

Question 10

Watson and Rayner’s Little Albert study

Answer 10

demonstrated how fears can be conditioned. little Albert was exposed to and conditioned to fear things

Question 11

stimulus generalization

Answer 11

demonstrating the conditioned response to stimulus that are similar to the conditioned stimulus

Question 12

operant conditioning

Answer 12

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

Question 13

Skinner

Answer 13

American psychologist, concentrated on how behavior was affected by its consequences. sole of reinforcement and punishment as major factors in driving behavior

Question 14

Positive reinforcement

Answer 14

adding a desirable stimulus to increase behavior

Question 15

negative reinforcement

Answer 15

taking away an undesirable stimulus to increase a behavior

Question 16

primary reinforcers

Answer 16

reinforcers that have innate reinforcing qualities (water, food, sleep, shelter, etc.)

Question 17

secondary (conditioned) reinforcers

Answer 17

has no inherent value and only has reinforcing qualities when linked with a primary reinforcer

Question 18

positive punishment

Answer 18

adding an undesirable stimulus to stop or decrease a behavior

Question 19

negative reinforcement

Answer 19

taking away a pleasant stimulus to decrease or stop a behavior

Question 20

extinction

Answer 20

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

Question 21

shaping

Answer 21

rewarding successive approximations toward a target behavior

Question 22

continuous schedule of reinforcement

Answer 22

rewarding a behavior every time it occurs

Question 23

intermittent (partial) schedules of reinforcement

Answer 23

rewarding a behavior only some of the time

Question 24

fixed ratio schedule of reinforcement

Answer 24

set number of responses must occur before a behavior is rewarded

Question 25

fixed interval schedules of reinforcement

Answer 25

behavior is rewarded after a set amount of time

Question 26

variable interval

Answer 26

behavior is rewarded after unpredictable amounts of time have passed

Question 27

advantages and disadvantages of positive reinforcement vs. punishment

Answer 27

positive reinforcement is more consistently effective and more ethical. punishment does not usually provide an alternative, leads to dislike of the punisher, leads to aggressive behavior

Question 28

cognitive approaches to learning

Answer 28

insight experiments, latent learning, observational learning, learned helplessness

Question 29

insight experiments (learning)

Answer 29

mental rearrangement or restructuring of the elements in a problem to achieve a sudden understanding of the problem and arrive at a solution (aha moment)

Question 30

Köhler

Answer 30

German psychologist, contributed to insight learning with apes

Question 31

latent learning

Answer 31

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

Question 32

cognitive map

Answer 32

mental picture of the layout of the environment

Question 33

observational learning

Answer 33

type of learning that occurs by watching others

Question 34

Bandura

Answer 34

American psychologist, originator of social cognitive theory (bobo doll experiment)

Question 35

vicarious reinforcement

Answer 35

the observer sees the model rewarded, making the observer more likely to imitate the model’s behavior

Question 36

vicarious punishment

Answer 36

the observer sees the model punished, making the observer less likely to imitate the models behavior

Question 37

learned helplessness

Answer 37

repeated exposure to uncontrollable stressors results in failing to use any control options that may later become available

Question 38

Seligman

Answer 38

American psychologist, theory of positive psychology and learned helplessness (puppy example)