U4 P2 Psych Flashcards
Operant Conditioning
a type of learning in which a behavior becomes more likely to recur if followed by a reinforcer and less likely to recur if followed by a punisher.
Law of Effect
Thorndike’s principle that behaviors followed by favorable consequences become more likely and behaviors followed by unfavorable consequences become less likely.
Operant Chamber
a chamber containing a bar or key that an animal can manipulate to obtain food or water.
Reinforcement
any event that strengthens the behavior it follows.
Shaping
operant conditioning procedure which reinforces guides behavior towards closer and closer approximations of the desired behavior.
Discriminative Stimulus
a stimulus that elicits a response after association with reinforcement.
Postive Reinforcement
is any stimulus that when presented after a response strengthens a response.
Negative Reinforcement
is any stimulus that when removed after a response strengthens a response.
Primary Reinforcer
an innately reinforced stimulus, such as one that satisfies a biological need.
Conditioned Reinforcer
a stimulus that gains its reinforcing power through association with a primary reinforcer.
Reinforcement Schedule
a pattern that defines how often a desired response will be reinforced.
Continuous Reinforcement Schedule
reinforcing the desired response every time it occurs.
Partial Reinforcement Schedule
reinforcing a response only part of the time: slower results but greater resistance to extinction.
Fixed-Ratio Schedule
a reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response only after a specified number of responses.
Variable-Ratio Schedule
a reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response after an unpredictable number of responses.
