Chapter 6 - Learning Flashcards
acquisition
the initial phase of learning in which a response is established
applied behaviour analysis
involves using close observation, prompting, and reinforcement to teach behaviours, often to people who experience difficulties and challenges owing to a developmental condition such as autism
avoidance learning
a specific type of negative reinforcement that removes the possibility that a stimulus will occur (eg. not eating a food after it caused an allergic reaction multiple times)
chaining
involves linking together two or more shaped behaviours into a more complex action or sequence of actions
classical conditioning
a form of associative learning in which an organism learns to associate a neutral stimulus (eg. a sound) with a **biologically relevant stimulus **(eg. food), which results in a change in the response to the previously neutral stimulus
conditioned emotional responses
consist of emotional and physiological responses that develop to a specific object or situation
conditioned response
(CR) the learned response that occurs to the conditioned stimulus
conditioned stimulus
(CS) a once-neutral stimulus that later elicits a conditioned response because it has a history of being **paired ** with an unconditioned stimulus
conditioned taste aversion
acquired dislike or disgust for a food or drink because it was paired with illness
continuous reinforcement
every response made results in reinforcement
discrimination
1 - Pavlovian: occurs when an organism learns to respond to one orginial conditioned stimulus but not to new stimuli that may be similar to the original stimulus
2 - Operant: occurs when an organism learns to respond to one original discriminative stimulus but not to new stimuli that may be similar to the original stimulus
3 - Behaviour that disfavours or disadvantages members of a certain social group in some way
discriminative stimulus
a cue or event that indicates that a response, if made, will be reinforced
(eg.child asking for candy @ grandma’s house)
escape learning
occurs if a response removes a stimulus that is already present (eg. leaving a noisy room to avoid sound)
extinction
1 - In classical conditioning: the loss or weakening of a conditioned response when a conditioned stimulus and unconditioned stimulus no longer occur together
2 - In operant conditioning: the weakening of an operant response when reinforcement is no longer available
fixed-interval schedule
reinforces the first response occurring after a set amount of time passes
fixed-ratio schedule
reinforcement is delivered after a specific number of responses have been completed
generalization
takes place when an operant response occurs in a response to a new stimulus that is similar to the stimulus present during original learning
imitation
recreating someone else’s motor behaviour or expression, often to accomplish a specific goal
latent inhibition
occurs when a frequent experience with a stimulus before it is paired with a US makes it less likely that conditioning will occur after a single episode of illness
latent learning
learning that is not immediately expressed by a response until the organism is reinforced for doing so
law of effect
idea that responses followed by satisfacion will occur again in the same situation whereas those that are not followed by satisfaction become less likely
learning
a process by which behaviour or knowledge changes as a result of experience
negative reinforcement
involves the strengthening of a behaviour because it removes or diminishes a stimulus
observational learning
involves changes in behaviour and knowledge that result from watching others
operant conditioning
a type of learning in which behaviour is influenced by consequences
partial reinforcement
only a certain number of responses are rewarded, or a certain amount of time must pass before reinforcement is available
partial reinforcement effect
a phenomenon in which organisms that have been conditioned under partial reinforcement resist extinction longer than those conditioned under continuous reinforcement
positive punishment
a process in which a behaviour decreases in frequency because it was followed by a particular, unually unlpeasant, stimulus (eg. spanking, exrta chores)
positive reinforcement
the strengthening of behaviour after potential reinforcers such as praise, money, or nourishment follow that behaviour
preparedness
the biological predisposition to rapidly learn a response to a particular class of stimuli
primary reinforcers
reinforcing stimuli that satisfy basic motivational needs - needs that affect an individual’s ability to survive (and, if possible, reproduce)
punisher
a stimulus that is contingent upon a response, and that results in a decrease in behaviour
punishment
a process that decreases the future probability of a response
reinforcement
a process in which an event or reward that follows a response increases the likelihood of that response occurring again
reinforcer
a stimulus that is contingent upon a response, and that increases the probability of that response occurring again
schedules of reinforcement
rules that determine when reinforcement is available
secondary reinforcers
stimuli that acquire their reinforcing effects only after we learn that they have value
shaping
reinforcing successive approximations of a specific operant response (eg baby learning to crawl)
spontaneous recovery
the reocccurrence of a previously extinguished conditioned response, typically after some time has passed since extinction
unconditioned response (UR)
a reflexive, unlearned reaction to an unconditioned stimulus
unconditioned stimulus (US)
a stimulus that elicits a reflexive response without learning
variable-interval schedule
the first response is reinforced following a variable amount of time
variable-ratio schedule
the number of reponses required to receive reinforcement varies according to an average
