Learning

Question 1

learning

Answer 1

relatively permanent change in organism’s behavior due to experience

Question 2

conditioning

Answer 2

the practice of learning associations

Question 3

classical conditioning

Answer 3

learning to associate two stimuli, allowing us to anticipate events

Question 4

operant conditioning

Answer 4

learning to associate our behavior with a consequence (good or bad) and thus learning to repeat (or not) that behavior

Question 5

What did Ivan Pavlov contribute to psychology ?

Answer 5

salivating dog experiment

Question 6

stimulus

Answer 6

something that causes you to react or respond

Question 7

unconditioned stimulus

Answer 7

unlearned thing that makes you respond
* ex: an object flying close to your face will cause you to blink

Question 8

unconditional response

Answer 8

the natural, unlearned, response to the unconditioned stimulus
* ex: blinking

Question 9

unconditioned stimulus

Answer 9

• triggers that unconditioned response
• a stimulus that automatically (without conditioning or learning) provokes a reflexive response

Question 10

unconditioned response

Answer 10

• unlearned, natural instinct
• response resulting from an unconditioned stimulus without prior learning

Question 11

conditioned stimulus

Answer 11

previously irrelevant stimulus that now triggers a response

Question 12

conditioned response

Answer 12

• response to the new stimulus
• response elicited by a previously neutral stimulus that has become associated with the unconditioned stimulus

Question 13

acquisition

Answer 13

initial learning; conditioned response is initiated by a conditioned stimulus

Question 14

extinction

Answer 14

diminishing response

Question 15

spontaneous recovery

Answer 15

reappearance of conditioned response after a time

Question 16

stimulus generalization

Answer 16

tendency to respond to stimuli similar to the conditioned stimulus

Question 17

stimulus discrimination

Answer 17

abulity to distinguish between conditioned stimulus and irrelevant health

Question 18

biological predispositions

Answer 18

conditioning takes place more easily when the subject is biologically predisposed to respond a certain way

Question 19

operant conditioning

Answer 19

• associating actions with consequences
• behavior operates on the environment

Question 20

Edward Thorndike

Answer 20

law of effect: rewarded behavior is likely to happen again

Question 21

insight learning

Answer 21

after working on a problem, you may come to a solution while doing something else

Question 22

primary reinforcement

Answer 22

something that is naturally reinforcing (food, water, warmth); unlearned

Question 23

secondary reinforcement

Answer 23

something one has learned because it is paired with a primary reinforcement in the long run (good grades, gold stars)

Question 24

variable ratio schedule

Answer 24

reinforcement schedule that rewards and unpredictable number of correct responses; most powerful type of reinforcement

Question 25

fixed ratio schedule

Answer 25

schedule that rewards a response only after a defined number of correct answers (ex: buy 6 coffees and get the 7th one free)

Question 26

variable interval schedule

Answer 26

system that rewards a correct response after an unpredictable amount of time

Question 27

fixed interval schedule

Answer 27

schedule that rewards a learning only for the first correct response after some defined period of time

Question 28

interval schedule

Answer 28

rewards subjects after a certain time interval

Question 29

ratio schedule

Answer 29

rewards subjects after a certain number of responses

Question 30

intermittent (partial) reinforcement

Answer 30

schedule by which some, not all, correct responses are reinforced; most effective way to maintain a behavior that has laready been learned

Question 31

continuous reinforcement

Answer 31

schedule of reinforcement that rewards every correct response given (ex: vending machine)

Question 32

contingencies

Answer 32

• “if a, then b”
• a is the response
• b is the reinforcement
• b is contingent upon a
• a must reliably predict b (or else learning does not occur)
• ex: “your grade on the final is contingent upon how much you study”

Question 33

shaping

Answer 33

rewarding successive approximations of a behavior

Question 34

two types of reinforcement

Answer 34

positive and negative

Question 35

reinforcer

Answer 35

condition in which the presentation or removal of the stimulus, that occurs after a response, behavior more likely to happen in future

Question 36

positive reinforcement

Answer 36

increases probability of response happening again

Question 37

negative reinforcement

Answer 37

removal of an unpleasant stimulus that increases the probability of that response happening again

Question 38

punishment

Answer 38

disliked stimulus which occurs after a behavior, and decreases the probability it will occur again

Question 39

positive punishment

Answer 39

undesirable event that follows a behavior (ex: speeding ticket)

Question 40

negative punishment

Answer 40

desireable event ends or is taken away (ex: time-out corner)

Question 41

reinforcement vs punishment

Answer 41

• punishment must be given constantly
• intermittent punishment is less efective than punishment delivered after every undesired behavior

Question 42

to make punishment work

Answer 42

• swift
• certain every time
• limited in time and intensity
• clearly target the behavior (not the person)
• no mixed messages

Question 43

cognitive map

Answer 43

mental representation of a place

Question 44

latent learning

Answer 44

learning that occurs but is not apparent until the learner has an incentive to demonstrate it

Question 45

observational learning

Answer 45

new responses acquired after other’s behavior and the consequences of their behavior are observed

Question 46

what did Albert Bandura do ?

Answer 46

social learning theory