Test 2 Flashcards
Learning
the process of acquiring new and relatively enduring information or behaviors
Associative learning
learning that certain events occur together.
Stimulus
any event or situation that evokes a response
Respondent behavior
behavior that occurs as an automatic response to some stimulus
Cognitive learning
the acquisition of mental information, whether by observing events, by watching others, or through language
Behaviorism
the view that psychology (1) should be an objective science that (2) studies behavior without reference to mental processes
Neutral stimulus (NS)
in classical conditioning, a stimulus that elicits no response before conditioning
Unconditioned response (UR)
in classical conditioning, an unlearned, naturally occurring response (such as salivation) to an unconditioned stimulus (US) (such as food in the mouth)
Conditioned response (CR)
in classical conditioning, a learned response to a previously neutral (but now conditioned) stimulus
Conditioned stimulus
in classical conditioning, an originally irrelevant 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.
Higher-order conditioning
a procedure in which the conditioned stimulus in one conditioning experience is paired with a new neutral stimulus, creating a second (often weaker) conditioned stimulus. (i.e. an animal that has learned that a tone predicts food might then learn that a light predicts the tone and begin responding to the light alone.)
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
Discrimination
in classical conditioning, the learned ability to distinguish between a conditioned stimulus and stimuli that do not signal an unconditioned stimulus
Operant conditioning
a type of learning in which behavior is strengthened if followed by a reinforcer or diminished if followed by a punisher
Operant behavior
behavior that operates on the environment, producing consequences
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 (gradually guiding the rat’s actions toward the desired behavior)
Law of effect
Thorndike’s principle that behaviors followed by favorable consequences become more likely, and that behaviors followed by unfavorable consequences become less likely
Operant chamber
in operant conditioning research, a chamber 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
Positive reinforcer
increasing behaviors by presenting positive reinforcers. A positive reinforcer is any stimulus that, when presented after a response, strengthens the response (pay the person who paints your house)
Negative reinforcer
increasing behaviors by stopping or reducing negative stimuli. A negative reinforcer is any stimulus that, when removed after a response, strengthens the response. (take painkillers to end pain)
Primary reinforcers
getting food when hungry or having a painful headache go away
Conditioned reinforcers
get power through learned association with primary reinforcers
Punishment
an event that tends to decrease the behavior that it follows
Reinforcement schedule
a pattern that defines how often a desired response will be reinforced
Continuous reinforcement
reinforcing the desired response every time it occurs
partial (intermittent) reinforcement
reinforcing a response only part of the time; results in slower acquisition of a response but much greater resistance to extinction than does continuous reinforcement
fixed-ratio schedule
punch card
variable-ratio schedule
slot-machine players
fixed-interval schedule
a hungry child jiggles the jello more often to see if it has set
variable-interval schedules
the message that finally rewards persistence in rechecking for e-mail or a facebook response
positive punishment
spray water on a barking dog; give a traffic ticket for speeding
negative punishment
take away a teen’s driving privileges; revoke a library card for nonpayment of fines
