Module 20 Flashcards
learning
process of acquiring new and relatively permanent info/behaviors through experience
types of learning
adaptation, classical and operant conditioning, observational learning, and cognitive learning
adaptation
learning to ignore some aspects of life (ex: sounds)
cognitive learning
acquire mental info which guides behaviors; via language
associative learning
learning that certain events occur together
habitual behaviors
especially evident when mentally depleted; usually takes 66 days to develop beneficial habits
respondent behavior
behavior that occurs automatically as a response to a stimulus (classical conditioning)
operant behavior
behavior that operates on the environment and produces consequences (operant conditioning)
classical conditioning
type of learning where 2 stimuli are linked; first stimuli comes to illicit behavior in anticipation of second stimulus
counter-conditioning
using extinction procedures/new conditioning to change unwanted responses to stimuli
neutral stimulus (NS)
a stimulus that doesn’t illicit a said response; turns into CS
unconditioned stimulus (US)
stimulus that automatically and naturally triggers a response
unconditioned response (UR)
unlearned, naturally occurring response to an US
conditioned stimulus (CS)
originally neutral stimulus that comes to trigger CR; can trigger another biological event/arrousal like sexual conditioning
conditioned response (CR)
learned response to previously neutral, but now conditioned, stimulus
acquisition
initial learning when US and NS are associated (CC); strengthening of a reinforced response (OC); usually 0.5 seconds btw US and NS; NS must come before US
higher-order/second-order conditioning
CS in 1 conditioning experience is paired with NS, creating a second and often weaker CS
extinction
diminished response that occurs when US doesn’t follow CS anymore (CC); when response isn’t reinforced anymore (OC)
spontaneous recovery
reappearance of a weakened CR after a pause
generalization
tendency for stimuli similar to CS to elicit a response (CR) (CC); responses learned in 1 situation occur in other, similar situations (OC)
discrimination
learned ability to distinguish between a CS and similar stimuli that don’t signal a US (CC); ability to distinguish responses that are reinforced from similar responses that aren’t reinforced (OC)
main concepts of Pavlov’s work
classical conditioning is universal among all organisms; scientific model for psych
behaviorism
Watson; psych should be an objective science based on observable behavior; today, most psychologists agree with 1 but not 2; influenced North American psych in early 20th century; disapproved of mentalistic concepts (ex: consciousness)
John Watson
founded behaviorism; believed basic laws of learning were the same for all animals and that human emotions and behaviors are mainly a bundle of conditional responses; conducted controversial studies on Little Albert and conditioned him to be scared of white rats via loud noises and was generalized to other animals
applications of classical conditioning
drug cravings, food cravings, immune responses, placebo effect, love towards parental figures, taste aversion
taste aversion
after getting sick after eating a said food, may avoid food, sometimes permanently, even if food doesn’t cause sickness
