Gen Psych Chapter 6: Learning Flashcards
Definition of Learning?
A change in behavior based on experience.
What is classical conditioning?
Pairing a neutral stimulus with one that naturally triggers a response.
What is an unconditioned stimulus (US)?
Stimulus that elicits naturally-occurring response.
What is an unconditioned response (UR)?
Organism’s natural reaction to the US.
What is a conditioned stimulus (CS)?
Initially, the neutral stimulus becomes conditioned.
What is a conditioned response (CR)?
Reaction that resembles UR but its triggered by the previously neutral stimulus
How does classical conditioning affect drug overdoses?
If you take the same dose of a drug in a NEW environment, the CS is missing.
How does classical conditioning relate to origins of phobias?
A surprising upsetting experience pairs a neutral stimulus with fears.
What are the steps of systematic desensitization?
(1) Expose people to small dose of feared stimulus, (2) Coupled with a pleasurable experience, (3) Gives patient a way to relax without the adrenaline of escape.
What are the stages of classical conditioning?
(1) Acquisition: Initial learning of behavior, (2): Extinction: When you stop pairing the CS and US, the CR will disappear.
What is stimulus generalization?
Stimulus that is similar to CS elicits a CR.
What is stimulus discrimination?
The more different the new stimulus is, the less it elicits the CR.
What is biological preparedness?
It’s easier to condition some responses than others. These learning tendencies are species-specific. A main reason behaviorism fell.
What is operant conditioning?
When a behavior becomes associated with its consequences.
What is the main difference between classical and operant conditioning?
Classical is the association between stimuli “passive” while operant is the association between a behavior and its consequence “active.”
What is positive reinforcement?
Adding a pleasant stimulus increases behavior.
What is a negative reinforcement?
Removing an aversive stimulus increases behavior.
What is positive punishment?
Adding an aversive stimulus decreases behavior.
What is negative punishment?
Removing a pleasant stimulus to decrease behavior.
What is a primary reinforcer?
Stimuli that fulfills physiological needs.
What is a secondary reinforcer?
Stimuli that are effective because they are associated with primary reinforers.
What is the general rule of punishment and reinforcement?
It’s better to teach reinforcement.
What is partial reinforcement?
Only some correct responses are reinforced.
What is the partial reinforcement effect?
Behaviors maintained under partial reinforcement are more resistant to extinction than those under continuous reinforcement.
What is superstitious behavior?
Organisms have a natural tendency to infer causation from correlation.
What is latent learning?
It is learning that can occur without reinforcement. You can learn something cognitively without showing it behaviorally.
What is a cognitive map?
A map in minds that help solve a problem
What is observational learning?
Behaviors that are acquired after watching others perform it.
What are mirror neurons?
Some neurons in models’ and observer’s brains activate when model engages in a behavior.
