Learning

Question 1

Learning

Answer 1

A relatively permanent change in behavior brought about by experience

Question 2

Classical Conditioning

Answer 2

A type of learning in which a neutral stimulus comes to bring about a response after it is paired with a stimulus that naturally brings about that response

Question 3

neutral stimulus

Answer 3

A stimulus that, before conditioning, does not nautrally bring about the response of interest

Question 4

unconditional stimulus (UCS)

Answer 4

A stimulus that is naturally brings about a particular respnse without having been learned

Question 5

unconditional response (UCR)

Answer 5

a response that is natural and needs no training (e.g., salivation at the smell of food)

Question 6

conditoned stimulus (CS)

Answer 6

a once neutral stimulus that has been paired with an unconditioned stimulus to bring about a response formerly caused only by the unconditoned stimulus

Question 7

conditioned response (CR)

Answer 7

a response that, after conditioning, follows a previously neutral stimulus (e.g., salivation at the ringing of a bell)

Question 8

extinction

Answer 8

a basic phenomenon of learning that occurs when a previously conditoned response decrease in frequency and eventually disappears

Question 9

spontaneous recovery

Answer 9

the reemergence of an extinguished conditioned response after a period of rest and with no further conditioning

Question 10

stimulus generalization

Answer 10

a process in which, after a stimulus has been conditioned to produce a particular response, stimuli that are similar to the original stimulus produce the same response

Question 11

stimulus discrimination

Answer 11

the process that occurs of two stimuli are sufficiently distinct from one another that one evokes a conditoned response that the other does not; the ability to differentiate between stimuli

Question 12

operant conditioning

Answer 12

learning in which a voluntary response is strengthened or weakened, depending on its favorable or unfavorable consequences

Question 13

reinforcement

Answer 13

the process by which a stimulus increases the probability that a preceding behavior will be repeated

Question 14

reinforcer

Answer 14

any stimulus that increases the probability that a preceding behavior will occur again

Question 15

positive reinforcer

Answer 15

a stimulus added to the environment that brings about an increasement in a preceding response

Question 16

negative reinforcer

Answer 16

an unpleasant stimulus whose removal leads to an increase in the probability that a preceding response will be repeated in the future

Question 17

punishment

Answer 17

a stimulus that decreases the probability that a previous behavior will occur again

Question 18

schedules of reinforcement

Answer 18

different patterns of frequency and timing of reinforcement following desired behavior

Question 19

continuous reinforcement schedule

Answer 19

reinforcing ofa behavior every time it occurs

Question 20

partial (or intermittent) reinforcement schedule

Answer 20

reinforcing of a behavior some but not all the time

Question 21

fixed-ratio schedule

Answer 21

a schedule by which reinforcement is given only after a specific number of responses are made

Question 22

variable-ratio schedule

Answer 22

a schedule by which reinforcement occurs after a varying number of responses rather than after a fixed number

Question 23

fixed-interval schedule

Answer 23

a schedule that provides reinforcement for a response only if a fixed time period has elasped, making overall rates of response relatively low

Question 24

variable-interval schedule

Answer 24

a schedule by which the time between reinforcements varies around some average rather than being fixed

Question 25

shaping

Answer 25

the process of teaching a complex behavior by rewarding closer and closer approxmimations of the desired behavior

Question 26

behavior modification

Answer 26

a formalized technique for promoting the frequency of desirable behaviors and decreasing the incidence of unwanted ones

Question 27

latent learning

Answer 27

learning in which a new behavior is acquired but is not demonstrated until some incentive is provided for displaying it

Question 28

observational learning

Answer 28

learning by observing the behavior of another person, or model

Question 29

cognitive learning theory

Answer 29

an approach to the study of learning that focuses on the thought processes that underlie learning