Conditioning and behaviorism

Question 1

What is the difference between classical and operant conditioning?

Answer 1

Classical conditioning is when an automatic response happens because it has been conditioned.

Operant conditioning is deliberate action in response to certain stimuli.

An example of classical conditioning would be a flinch - it is completely unintentional.

An example of operant conditioning might be wearing a helmet on a bike because the last time you got hurt when you didn’t wear one. .

Question 2

Is Pavlov’s dogs an example of classical or operant conditioning?

Answer 2

Classical.

Question 3

What is the minimum number of factors involved in classical conditioning?

Answer 3

Three.

Two of them are most likely already related (such as salivating and dog food) and the third is unrelated initially but over the course of the conditioning becomes a part of the other two as if they were always related.

Question 4

At what age does separation anxiety typically end by?

Answer 4

By 2 years of age.

Question 5

What factor brings about classical conditioning the quickest?

Answer 5

Emotion.

Classical conditioning will happen the fastest when emotion is a strong factor. It will condition even more quickly when the emotion is intense or negative.

Question 6

What is required to make a general conclusion in a study on a group of people?

Answer 6

That the group was selected randomly.

This is called a random sample.

Question 7

What is Accommodation-Altering?

Who came up with the concept?

Answer 7

It is altering your way of thinking and current world- view because of new information or a situation.

Piaget. It is part of his theory of cognitive development

For example, if a boy believes that all birds are small and then sees an ostrich he will adjust his thinking to believe that only most birds are small. This is called accommodation

Question 8

What are “schemas” in Piaget’s theory?

Answer 8

Schemas are someones mental representations of the world.

Question 9

What is “equilibrium” in Piaget’s theory?

Answer 9

When a child’s existing schemas are capable of explaining what it can perceive around it, it is said to be in a state of equilibrium, i.e., a state of cognitive (i.e., mental) balance.

Question 10

What is “disequilibrium” in Piaget’s theory?

Answer 10

When a person is experiencing cognitive disequilibrium, a person is confused because a new experience is jarring and incomprehensible. (i,e., out of balance.)

A person may choose to adapt to this new experience by assimilating or accommodating.

Question 11

Who observed that behaviors that get a reward are strengthened and behaviors that are followed by a punishment are weakened?

What is this observation called?

Answer 11

Thorndike

The Law of Effect.

According to Thorndike, dog owners use this to train their dogs.

Question 12

What is the main principle behind the Law of Effect?

Answer 12

Behavior is a direct result of the consequences that surround that behavior.

Question 13

What is the meaning of a negative correlation?

Answer 13

It means that increasing one factor reduces the other. When one goes up the other goes down.

IMPORTANT NOTE: This can often get confusing on an exam when they use an example that seems “negative” or “positive” in the typical sense. Remember that is not what this means.

This is the same principle that applies to negative and positive reinforcement. - If you slap a child and they cry that is an example of positive reinforcement because you are adding something (the slap) even though that thing is not pleasant (or what we typically think of as negative).

In almost all examples in psychology try not to think of positive and negative as good and bad but rather adding and subtracting.

Question 14

There is usually a ___________ between being on time and getting fired. Employees who are always on time are usually less likely to get fired.

Answer 14

Negative correlation.

Question 15

Thorndike’s law of effect describes and explains what is now known as what?

Answer 15

Instrumental learning.

Question 16

What adjective did Thorndike use to describe unpleasant events?

What adjective did Thorndike use to describe pleasant events?

Answer 16

Annoying.

Satisfying.

Question 17

Who defined three levels of moral reasoning?

What are those three levels?

Answer 17

Kohlberg.

1. Preconventional.
2. Conventional.
3. Postconventional.

Question 18

What kind of things are important to someone who is in the Conventional Moral Reasoning stage?

Answer 18

Approval from others such as family, peers, and friends.

Kohlberg believed that few adolescents can go beyond the Conventional stage into the Postconventional stage.

Question 19

What happens Kohlberg’s Postconventional stage?

Answer 19

In this stage other people’s approval no longer determines morals; in this stage people reason through to their own sense of what makes an action right.

Question 20

What kind of things is someone concerned with when they are in Kohlberg’s Preconventional stage?

Answer 20

Only themselves such as how they can avoid punishment or get a reward.

Question 21

What was one criticism of Kohlberg’s research?

Answer 21

He only used Male research subjects which could have skewed the results toward justice and away from compassion as females are typically more concerned with compassion.

Question 22

What two aspects of consequences must be present for them to be effective?

Answer 22

They must be immediate and clearly linked to the action.

For example; if you punish a dog a long time after they steal food off of the kitchen table and when you are at the dog park they will probably not make the connection and the consequences will have no effect on the behavior.

Question 23

Why is it not as critical to have an immediate consequence with older humans?

Answer 23

Because humans can verbally explain the connection.

Question 24

What is it called when someone learns by observing the behavior of others?

Answer 24

Social learning.

For example; a child learning not to steal because they observed their sibling getting in trouble for it.

Question 25

What is a “model” in social learning theory?

Answer 25

Anyone who demonstrates or “models” a behavior that is observed by others.

Having good models for others to observe can be a very effective way of teaching.

Question 26

What is “modeling” in social learning theory?

Answer 26

The imitation of someone else who is responding correctly.

Question 27

Who focused on social learning and came up with many aspects of social learning theory?

Answer 27

Albert Bandura.

The essence of his theories is that we often learn from others.

Question 28

What school of psychology was introduced by John B. Watson?

What is this school of psychology about?

Answer 28

Behaviorism.

Behaviorism is a school of psychology which seeks to explain animal and human behavior entirely in terms of OBSERVABLE and MEASURABLE responses to environmental stimuli.

Question 29

Although John B. Watson introduced behaviorism who was the psychologist who took it further than any other psychologist?

Answer 29

B. F. Skinner

Like other behaviorists, he rejected unobservable phenomena of the sort that other forms of psychology, particularly psychoanalysis, had studied, concerning himself only with patterns of responses to rewards and stimuli.

Question 30

Aside from being measurable, what is another big difference between behaviorism and other types of psychology?

Answer 30

Behaviorism is very easily used and applied to real-world situations and is much less hypothetical than other psychological schools of thought.

Question 31

What are the two most common goals of behavior modification programs in education?

Answer 31

Improve grades and reduce defiance.

Question 32

What is the definition of learning?

Answer 32

“A relatively permanent change in behavior occurring as a result of experience.”

Therefore it comes to reason that learning cannot be observed; it must be inferred from observing behavior. In other words, learning is a change in behavior–you observe the behavior to tell if the learning took place.

Question 33

Many teachers use token economics to help their students behave. How do token economies work in a classroom?

Answer 33

They involve allowing students to earn tokens for academic work and positive classroom behavior. These tokens (play money, coins, etc) can be cashed in for rewards.

Question 34

When should token economies be used?

Answer 34

Only as a last resort when other attempts to manage behavior have been unsuccessful.

Question 35

What is Cognitive Learning Theory?

Answer 35

A general approach that views learning as an active mental process of acquiring, remembering, and using knowledge.

Question 36

Stimuli results in brain activity that stores the information where?

Answer 36

Short term memory.

Question 37

What is a flashbulb memory?

Who coined the term?

Answer 37

Memories that are vivid and long lasting due to a significant event.
(though not necessarily traumatic)

Brown and Kulik coined it in 1977.

Examples of events which have caused flashbulb memories are the deaths of Joh Kennedy and 9/11. People who were alive when these events happened can often not only remember details about the events, but also remember trivial details such as how they heard about it, where they were, what they were doing, etc.

Question 38

When is information transferred from short to long term memory?

Answer 38

After it has been assimilated.

Question 39

Assimilated information gets transferred into what two things?

Answer 39

Either knowledge or action (depending on the information).