Chapter 6: Learning Flashcards
Instinct
Unlearned knowledge, involving complex patterns of behavior; instincts are thought to be more prevalent in lower animals than in humans
Modeling
Person who performs a behavior that serves as an example (in observational learning)
Shaping
Rewarding successive approximations toward a target behavior
Fixed interval reinforcement schedule
Behavior is rewarded after a set amount of time
Latent Learning
Learning that occurs, but it may not be evident until there is a reason to demonstrate it
Vicarious Punishment
Process where the observer sees the model punished, making the observer less likely to imitate the model’s behavior
Partial Reinforcement
Partial reinforcement partial reinforcement rewarding behavior only some of the time
Continuous reinforcement
Rewarding a behavior every time it occurs
Variable ratio reinforcement schedule
Number of responses differ before a behavior is rewarded
Reflex
Unlearned, automatic response by an organism to a stimulus in the environment
Learning
Change in behavior or knowledge that is the result of experience
Associative Learning
Form of learning that involves connecting (associating) 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
Operant conditioning
Form of learning in which the stimulus/experience happens after the behavior is demonstrated
Training a dog named Opera.
Observational Learning
Type of learning that occurs by watching others
Unconditioned Response (UCR)
Natural (unlearned) behavior to a given stimulus
Conditioned Stimulus (CS)
Stimulus that elicits a response due to its being paired with an unconditioned stimulus
Neutral stimulus (NS)
Stimulus that does not initially elicit a response
Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS)
Stimulus that elicits a reflexive response
Conditioned response (CR)
Response caused by the conditioned stimulus
Extinction
Decrease in the conditioned response when the unconditioned stimulus is no longer paired with the conditioned stimulus
Stimulus discrimination
Ability to respond differently to similar stimuli
Stimulus generalization
Demonstrating the conditioned response to stimuli that are similar to the conditioned stimulus
Negative reinforcement
Taking away an undesirable stimulus to increase a behavior
