Unit 3 // AOS 2 Textbook Definitions Flashcards
Learning
A relatively permanent change in behaviour due to experience
Classical conditioning (CC)
A three-phase learning process (before conditioning, during conditioning - acquisition phase - and after conditioning) that results in the involuntary association between a neutral stimulus and unconditioned stimulus to produce a conditioned response
Unconditioned stimulus (UCS)
In classical conditioning, any stimulus that consistently produces a particular naturally occurring, involuntary response
Unconditioned response (UCR)
In classical conditioning, an involuntary response that occurs when the unconditioned stimulus is presented
Neutral stimulus (NS)
In classical conditioning, any object or event that does not normally produce a predictable response, becomes a conditioned stimulus through repeated association with the unconditioned stimulus
Conditioned stimulus (CS)
In classical conditioning, the stimulus that is initially neutral and does not normally produce the unconditioned response but eventually becomes associated with the unconditioned stimulus and elicits a conditioned response
Conditioned response (CR)
In classical conditioning, the learned or acquired response to the conditioned stimulus
Operant conditioning (OC)
A learning process whereby the consequences of a behaviour (e.g. reward or punishment) determine the likelihood that it will be performed again in the future
Operant
Any response (or set of responses) that acts on the environment to produce some kind of consequence
Three-phase model of operant conditioning
Explains operant conditioning as occurring in a specific sequence: (1) presence of an antecedent stimulus that occurs before the behaviour; (2) the behaviour that occurs due to the antecedent and (3) the consequence to the behaviour
Antecedent
An object or event that precedes a specific behaviour and signals the probable consequence for the behaviour and therefore influences the occurrence of the behaviour
Behaviour
Any action made by a living person (or animal) that can be observed or measured
Consequence
In operant conditioning, the environmental event that occurs immediately after the relevant behaviour and has an affect on the occurrence of the behaviour
Reinforcement
When a stimulus strengthens or increases the frequence or likelihood of a response that it follows, may also refer to the process of administering the stimulus (i.e. reinforcer)
Reinforcer
Any stimulus that strengthens or increases the frequence or likelihood of a response that it follows
Positive reinforcer
A stimulus that strengthens or increases the frequency or likelihood of a desired response
Positive reinforcement
Presentation of a positive reinforcer following a desired response
Negative reinforcer
Any unpleasant or aversive stimulus that, when removed or avoided, strengthens or increases the frequency or likelihood of a desired response
Negative reinforcement
The removal of an unpleasant stimulus or aversive stimulus, thereby strengthening or making a desired response more likely to occur
Punishment
Delivery of an unpleasant consequence following a response, or the removal of a pleasant consequence following a response, in order to weaken a response or decrease the likelihood of it occurring again
Positive punishment
Presentation of an unpleasant stimulus that weakens a response or decreases the likelihood of the response occurring again
Negative punishment (Response cost)
The removal or loss of a desirable stimulus thereby weakening or decreasing the likelihood of a response recurring again
Observational learning
Acquisition of information, skills or behaviour through watching the performance of others, either directly or indirectly, involves a sequence of processes called attention, retention, reproduction, motivation and reinforcement
Attention
The process of focusing on specific stimuli or aspects of the sensory environment whilst ignoring and therefore excluding others
Retention
Remembering a behaviour that has been closely attended to
Reproducton
When a behaviour that has been closely attended to and retained in memory is imitated
Motivation
Processes within an organism which activate behaviour that is directed towards a particular goal
Ways of knowing
Different ways people arrive at a sense of knowledge of the world and respective fields
Memory
Processing, storage and retrieval of information acquired through learning, often described as neurological representation of learning
Encoding
In relation to memory, conversion of information into a usable form so that it can be neurologically represented and stored in memory
Storage
In relation to memory, retention of encoded information over time
Retrieval
In relation to memory, recovery of stored information and brining it into conscious awareness for use
Atkinson-Shiffrin multi-store model
A representation and explanation of memory as consisting of three separate stores called sensory memory, short-term memory and long-term memory, differing in function, capacity and duration
Sensory memory
The entry point of memory where new incoming sensory information is stored in its original, raw state for a very brief time
Iconic memory
Visual sensory memory for incoming visual information that stores visual images in their original sensory form for about a third of a second
Echoic memory
Auditory sensory memory for incoming auditory information that stores sounds in their original sensory form for about 3 or 4 seconds
Short-term memory (STM)
A memory system with limited storage capacity in which information is stored for a relatively short time, unless renewed in some way, also maintains information in conscious awareness and functions as ‘working memory’
Long-term memory (LTM)
A memory store that holds a potentially unlimited amount of information for a very long time, possibly permanently
Explicit memory
Long-term memory that can be consciously retrieved and stated (‘memory with awareness’)
Episodic memory
The long-term memory of personally experiences events associated with a particular time and place
Semantic memory
Long-term explicit memory of facts and knowledge about the world
Implicit memory
Long-term memory that does not require conscious or intentional retrieval (‘memory without awareness’)
Procedural memory
The long-term implicit memory of skills that have been learned previously
Hippocampus
A structure in the medial temporal lobe, deep within the brain and part of the limbic system, crucial role in the formation, encoding and consolidation of new long-term explicit memories and their transfer to the cortex for storage
Consolidation
The neurobiological process making a newly formed memory stable and enduring following a learning experience
Amygdala
A small structure in the medial temporal lobe, deep within the brain and part of the limbic system, involved in emotional reactions (particularly fear and anger) and formation of a wide variety of emotional memories
Neocortex
The largest and most recently evolved part of the brain’s cerebral cortex
Basal ganglia
A group of structures (neuron cell bodies called nuclei) deep within the brain, involved in the generation of voluntary movements and long-term implicit memories involving motor skills
Habituation
The process of growing accustomed to a stimulus and decreasing responsiveness to it
