module 20 - Basic Learning Concepts and Classical Conditioning

Question 1

what is learning

Answer 1

• process of acquiring new information or behaviors

Question 2

associative learning

Answer 2

• learning an association between two things
• ex: when event A happens, event B happens

Question 3

cognitive learning

Answer 3

• acquisition of information through observation or through experience
• observational learning

Question 4

Behaviorism

Answer 4

• dominated psychological science in the first half of the 20th century
• focused on objective measurements
• stimulus and response

Question 5

classical conditioning

Answer 5

• “unconditioned stimulus” naturally produces “unconditioned response”
• neutral stimulus does not naturally produce a response
• after repeatedly pairing the US with the NS, the NS becomes a “conditioned stimulus” that produces a “conditioned response” on its own

Question 6

5 major processes in classical conditioning

Answer 6

1. acquisition
   - forming the association
2. extinction
   - losing the association after CS repeatedly presented without the US, thus turning the CS back into an NS
3. spontaneous recovery
   - after extinction, association comes back on its own without reintroducing the pairing
4. generalization
   - extension of association to stimuli that are similar to the CS
5. discrimination
   - distinguishing CS from similar stimuli