Chapter 6 Learning Flashcards
acquisition
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
associative learning
form of learning that involves connecting certain stimuli or events that occur together in
the environment (classical and operant conditioning)
classical conditioning
learning in which the stimulus or experience occurs before the behavior and then gets
paired or associated with the behavior
cognitive map
mental picture of the layout of the environment
conditioned response (CR)
response caused by the conditioned stimulus
conditioned stimulus (CS)
stimulus that elicits a response due to its being paired with an unconditioned
stimulus
continuous reinforcement
rewarding a behavior every time it occurs
fixed interval reinforcement schedule
behavior is rewarded after a set amount of time
fixed ratio reinforcement schedule
set number of responses must occur before a behavior is rewarded
higher-order conditioning
(also, second-order conditioning) using a conditioned stimulus to condition a
neutral stimulus
latent learning
learning that occurs, but it may not be evident until there is a reason to demonstrate it
law of effect
behavior that is followed by consequences satisfying to the organism will be repeated and
behaviors that are followed by unpleasant consequences will be discouraged
negative punishment
taking away a pleasant stimulus to decrease or stop a behavior
negative reinforcement
taking away an undesirable stimulus to increase a behavior
neutral stimulus (NS)
stimulus that does not initially elicit a response
observational learning
type of learning that occurs by watching others
operant conditioning
form of learning in which the stimulus/experience happens after the behavior is
demonstrated
partial reinforcement
rewarding behavior only some of the time
positive punishment
adding an undesirable stimulus to stop or decrease a behavior
positive reinforcement
adding a desirable stimulus to increase a behavior
primary reinforcer
has innate reinforcing qualities (e.g., food, water, shelter, sex)
radical behaviorism
staunch form of behaviorism developed by B. F. Skinner that suggested that even
complex higher mental functions like human language are nothing more than stimulus-outcome associations
secondary reinforcer
has no inherent value unto itself and only has reinforcing qualities when linked with
something else (e.g., money, gold stars, poker chips)
spontaneous recovery
return of a previously extinguished conditioned response
stimulus discrimination
ability to respond differently to similar stimuli
stimulus generalization
demonstrating the conditioned response to stimuli that are similar to the
conditioned stimulus
unconditioned response (UCR)
natural (unlearned) behavior to a given stimulus
unconditioned stimulus (UCS)
stimulus that elicits a reflexive response
variable interval reinforcement schedule
behavior is rewarded after unpredictable amounts of time have
passed
variable ratio reinforcement schedule
number of responses differ before a behavior is rewarded
vicarious punishment
process where the observer sees the model punished, making the observer less likely
to imitate the model’s behavior
Little Albert experiment
The Little Albert experiment was a controlled experiment showing empirical evidence of classical conditioning in humans. The study also provides an example of stimulus generalization. It was carried out by John B. Watson and his graduate student, Rosalie Rayner, at Johns Hopkins University
variable interval
In operant conditioning, a variable-interval schedule is a schedule of reinforcement where a response is rewarded after an unpredictable amount of time has passed, which is the opposite of a fixed-interval schedule. This schedule produces a slow, steady rate of response
variable ratio
In operant conditioning, a variable-ratio schedule is a partial schedule of reinforcement in which a response is reinforced after an unpredictable number of responses.
Shaping.
Shaping. In his operant conditioning experiments, Skinner often used an approach called shaping. Instead of rewarding only the target behavior, in shaping, we reward successive approximations of a target behavior.
Edward C. Tolman
Edward Chace Tolman was an American psychologist and a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley. Through Tolman’s theories and works, he founded what is now a branch of psychology known as purposive behaviorism.
John B. Watson
John Broadus Watson was an American psychologist who popularized the scientific theory of behaviorism, establishing it as a psychological school. Watson advanced this change in the psychological discipline through his 1913 address at Columbia University, titled Psychology as the Behaviorist Views It.
B. F. Skinner
Burrhus Frederic Skinner was an American psychologist, behaviorist, author, inventor, and social philosopher. He was a professor of psychology at Harvard University from 1958 until his retirement in 1974
social learning theory
Social learning theory, proposed by Albert Bandura, emphasizes the importance of observing, modelling, and imitating the behaviors, attitudes, and emotional reactions of others. Social learning theory considers how both environmental and cognitive factors interact to influence human learning and behavior.
classical conditioning
Classical conditioning is a behavioral procedure in which a biologically potent stimulus is paired with a previously neutral stimulus.
unconditionaned stimules
An unconditioned stimulus is a stimulus that leads to an automatic response. In Pavlov’s experiment, the food was the unconditioned stimulus. An unconditioned response is an automatic response to a stimulus. The dogs salivating for food is the unconditioned response in Pavlov’s experiment.
conditioned stimulus
A conditioned stimulus is a neutral cue or event that produces an involuntary response after repeatedly being paired with an unconditioned stimulus that naturally elicits that behavior. This term originated in a learning process called classical conditioning
higher-order conditioning
In classical conditioning, second-order conditioning or higher-order conditioning is a form of learning in which a stimulus is first made meaningful or consequential for an organism through an initial step of learning, and then that stimulus is used as a basis for learning about some new stimulus
variable interval reinforcement
Variable interval reinforcement is a schedule in which reinforcements are distributed at varying intervals of time, depending on whether or not the desired behavior has been performed
partial reinforcement
In partial (or intermittent) reinforcement, the response is reinforced only part of the time.
Albert Bandura
Albert Bandura’s social learning theory suggests that observation and modeling play a primary role in how and why people learn. Bandura’s theory goes beyond the perception of learning being the result of direct experience with the environment
Rosalie Rayner
Rosalie Alberta Rayner was a research psychologist, and the assistant and later wife of Johns Hopkins University psychology professor John B. Watson, with whom she carried out the famous Little Albert experiment. Rayner studied at Vassar College and Johns Hopkins University
