Chapter 6: Learning

Question 1

A type of learning in which a stimulus acquires the capacity to evoke a response originally evoked by another stimulus

Answer 1

Classical conditioning

Question 2

______ is the formation of a conditioned response tendency.

Answer 2

Acquisition

Question 3

_____ is the gradual weakening of a conditioned response tendency.

Answer 3

Extinction

Question 4

_____ occurs when an organism responds to a new stimuli besides the original stimulus.

Answer 4

Generalization

Question 5

_____ occurs when an organism doesn’t respond to other stimuli that resemble the original stimulus.

Answer 5

Discrimination

Question 6

A type of learning in which responses come to be controlled by their consequences.
Examples: studying, going to work, telling jokes, asking someone out, gambling

Answer 6

Operant conditioning

Question 7

Occurs when an event following a response increases an organism’s tendency to make that response.

Answer 7

reinforcement

Question 8

Occurs when a response is reinforced only some of the time.

occurring at irregular intervals; not continuous or steady

Answer 8

Intermittent reinforcement

Question 9

_______ reinforcement occurs when a response is followed by the removal of an aversive stimulus.

Answer 9

negative reinforcement

Question 10

_____ occurs when an event following a response weakens the tendency to make that response.

Answer 10

punishment

Question 11

Occurs when when an organism’s responding is influenced by the observation of others, called models.
Pioneered by Albert Bandura, who showed that conditioning doesn’t have to be a product of direct experience.

Answer 11

observational learning

Question 12

Observational learning depends on the processes of …

Answer 12

attention
retention
preproduction
motivation

Question 13

A number of strategies can be used to decrease the strength of a response, including …

Answer 13

reinforcement
control antecedents
punishment

Question 13

______ can be used to manipulate people’s emotional responses, making it a very useful tool for advertisers.

Answer 13

evaluative conditioning

Question 13

_____ appears to explain why people acquire phobias to ancient sources of threat much more readily than to modern sources of threat

Answer 13

preparedness

Question 14

When a response is followed by a desirable outcome, the response is more likely to be _____ if it appears to have caused the favourable outcome.

Answer 14

strengthened

Question 15

Occurs when a response gradually increases due to contingent reinforcement
May involve shaping - the reinforcement of closer and closer approximations of the desired response
Operant conditioning

Answer 15

acquisition

Question 16

Occurs when responding gradually slows and stops after reinforcement is terminated
Operant conditioning

Answer 16

extinction

Question 17

Occurs when responding increases in the presence of a stimulus that resembles the original discriminative stimulus
Operant conditioning

Answer 17

generalization

Question 18

Occurs when responding doesn’t increase in the presence of a stimulus that resembles the original ____ stimulus.
Operant conditioning

Answer 18

discrimination
discriminative

Question 19

Occurs when a conditioned stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus are paired, gradually resulting in a conditioned response.
Classical conditioning

Answer 19

acquisition

Question 20

Occurs when a conditioned stimulus is repeatedly presented alone until it no longer elicits a conditioned response.
Classical conditioning

Answer 20

extinction

Question 21

Occurs when a conditioned response is elicited by a new stimulus that resembles the original conditioned stimulus, as in Watson and Rayner’s study of Little Albert
Classical conditioning

Answer 21

generalization

Question 22

Occurs when a conditioned response is not elicited by a new stimulus that resembles the original conditioned stimulus.
Classical conditioning

Answer 22

discrimination

Question 23

Involves a species-specific predisposition to be conditioned in certain ways and not others.
Sleigman: evolution programmed organisms to acquire certain fears more readily than others because of this phenomenon

Answer 23

Preparedness

Question 24

According to this, if a response in the presence of a stimulus leads to satisfying effects, the association between the stimulus and the response is strengthened.

Answer 24

Law of effect

Question 25

Occurs when an event following a response increases an organism’s tendency to make that response.
A response is strengthened because it leads to rewarding consequences

Answer 25

Reinforcement

Question 26

A small enclosure in which an animal can make a specific response that’s recorded while the consequences of the response are systematically controlled.

Answer 26

A Skinner box or operant chamber

Question 27

Events that are inherently (deep-rooted) reinforcing because they satisfy biological needs
In humans: food, water, warmth, sex

Answer 27

Primary reinforcers

Question 28

Events that acquire reinforcing qualities by being associated with primary reinforcers
Depend on learning
In humans: money, good grades, attention, flattery, praise, and applause
People LEARN to find stylish clothes, sports cars, fine jewelry, and exotic vacations reinforcing

Answer 28

Secondary/conditioned reinforcers

Question 29

With a ____ schedule, the reinforcer is given a fixed number of nonreinforced responses
Ex: a rat is reinforced for every 10th lever press, a salesperson receives a bonus for every 4th set of encyclopedias sold

Answer 29

Fixed-ratio schedule

Question 30

With a ____ schedule, the reinforcer is given after a variable number of non reinforced responses
Ex: a rat is reinforced for every 10th lever press on average. The exact number of responses required for reinforcement varies from one time to the next

Answer 30

Variable ratio schedule

Question 31

Require a time period to pass between the presentation of reinforces

Answer 31

Interval schedule

Question 32

The reinforcer is given for the first response that occurs after a fixed time interval has elapsed
Ex: a man washing his clothes periodically checks to see whether each load is finished. The reward (clean clothes) is available only after a fixed time interval has elapsed. Checking responses during the interval are is not reinforced

Answer 32

Fixed interval schedule

Question 33

The reinforcer is given for the first response after a variable time interval has elapsed. The interval length varies around a predetermined average
Ex: a person repeatedly dials a busy phone number (getting through is the reinforcer)
A rat is reinforced for the first lever press after a 1 min interval has elapsed, but the following intervals are 3 min, 2 min, 4 min and so on - with an average length of 2 min

Answer 33

Variable interval schedule (VI)

Question 34

Occurs when a response is strengthened because it is followed by the removal of an aversive (unpleasant) stimulus
Ex: you rush home in the winter to get out of the cold, you clean the house to get rid of the mess…

Answer 34

Negative reinforcement

Question 35

Involved in the presentation of an aversive (causing strong dislike) stimulus
Ex: spanking a child for misbehaving

Answer 35

Positive punishment

Question 36

Involves the removal of a rewarding stimulus
Ex: when child misbehaves, parent takes a way tablet or phone

Answer 36

Negative punishment

Question 37

Learning that isn’t apparent from behaviour when it first occurs

Answer 37

Latent learning

Question 38

Occurs when an animal’s innate response tendencies interfere with conditioning processes

Answer 38

Instinctive drift

Question 39

Lost the 4 keys processes that are crucial in observational learning

Answer 39

Attention
Retention
Reproduction
Motivation

Question 40

Neurons that are activated by performing an action or by seeing another monkey or person perform the same action

Answer 40

Mirror neurons

Question 41

Events that typically precede the target response

Answer 41

Antecedents