Mods 26-27 Flashcards
learning
the process of acquiring new and relatively enduring information or behaviors.
habituation
decreasing responsiveness with repeated exposure to a stimulus
Ivan Pavlov
Pavlov spent two decades studying dogs’ digestive system and earned the Nobel Prize. His experiments on learning produced the phenomenon we call classical conditioning.
stimulus
any event or situation that evokes a response.
respondent behavior
behavior that occurs as an automatic response to some stimulus.
John B. Watson
founding father of the behavioral perspective.
classical conditioning
a type of learning in which we link two or more stimuli; as a result, to illustrate with Pavlov’s classic experiment, the first stimulus (the tone) comes to elicit behavior (drooling) in anticipation of the second stimulus (food).
behaviorism
the view that psychology (1) should be an objective science that (2) studies behavior without reference to mental processes. Most research psychologists today agree with (1) but not with (2).
neutral stimulus
in classical conditioning, a stimulus that elicits no response before conditioning.
unconditioned response
in classical conditioning, an unlearned, naturally occurring response (such as salivation) to the unconditioned stimulus (such as food in the mouth).
unconditioned stimulus
in classical conditioning, a stimulus that unconditionally– naturally and automatically– triggers a response.
conditioned response
in classical conditioning, the learned response to a previously neutral (but now conditioned) stimulus.
conditioned stimulus
in classical conditioning, an originally neutral stimulus that, after association with an unconditioned stimulus, comes to trigger a conditioned response.
acquisition
in classical conditioning, the initial stage, when one links a neutral stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus so that the neutral stimulus begins triggering the conditioned response. In operant conditioning, the strengthening of a reinforced response.
extinction
the diminishing of a conditioned response; occurs in classical conditioning when an unconditioned stimulus does not follow a conditioned stimulus; occurs in operant conditioning when a response is no longer reinforced.
spontaneous recovery
the reappearance, after a pause, of an extinguished conditioned response.
generalization
the tendency, once a response has been conditioned, for stimuli similar to the conditioned stimulus to elicit similar responses. (In operant conditioning, generalization occurs when responses learned in one situation occur in other, similar situations).
discrimination
in classical conditioning, the learned ability to distinguish between a conditioned stimulus and similar stimuli that do not signal an unconditioned stimulus. (In operant conditioning, the ability to distinguish responses that are reinforced from similar responses that are not reinforced).
operant conditioning
a type of learning in which a behavior becomes more likely to recur if followed by a reinforcer or less likely to recur if followed by a punisher.
B.F. Skinner
Skinner was behaviorism’s most influential and controversial figure. He’s most famous for his work with the operant chamber and establishing schedules of reinforcement.
Skinner was behaviorism’s most influential and controversial figure. He’s most famous for his work with the operant chamber and establishing schedules of reinforcement.
Thorndike’s principle that behaviors followed by favorable consequences become more likely, and that behaviors followed by unfavorable consequences become less likely.
Edward Thorndike
an early behaviorist who conducted experiments with cats and a puzzle box. He identified the Law of Effect.
operant chamber
in operant conditioning research, a chamber (also known as a Skinner box) containing a bar or key that an animal can manipulate to obtain a food or water reinforcer; attached devices record the animal’s rate of bar pressing or key pecking.
reinforcement
in operant conditioning, any event that strengthens the behavior it follows.
shaping
an operant conditioning procedure in which reinforcers guide behavior toward closer and closer approximations of the desired behavior.
discriminative stimulus
in operant conditioning, a stimulus that elicits a response after association with reinforcement (in contrast to related stimuli not associated with reinforcement).
positive reinforcement
increasing behaviors by presenting positive reinforcers. A positive reinforcer is any stimulus that, when presented after a response, strengthens the response.
negative reinforcement
increasing behaviors by stopping or reducing aversive stimuli. A negative reinforcer is any stimulus that, when removed after a response, strengthens the response. (Note: negative reinforcement is not punishment.)
