Unit 3b Learning Flashcards
What is the behavioral perspective?
A psychological approach that emphasizes observable behaviors and the ways they’re learned.
Define classical conditioning.
A learning process that occurs through associations between an environmental stimulus and a naturally occurring stimulus.
What is acquisition in classical conditioning?
The initial stage of learning when a response is first established and gradually strengthened.
What does UCS stand for?
Unconditioned Stimulus
What is the Unconditioned Response (UCR)?
The natural reaction to an unconditioned stimulus.
Define Conditioned Stimulus (CS).
A previously neutral stimulus that, after association with an unconditioned stimulus, comes to trigger a conditioned response.
What is a Conditioned Response (CR)?
The learned response to a previously neutral stimulus.
What is extinction in classical conditioning?
The diminishing of a conditioned response when an unconditioned stimulus no longer follows a conditioned stimulus.
What is spontaneous recovery?
The re-emergence of a conditioned response after a pause or period of extinction.
Define stimulus generalization.
The tendency for the conditioned stimulus to evoke similar responses after the response has been conditioned.
What is stimulus discrimination?
The ability to distinguish between different stimuli and respond differently.
What is higher order conditioning?
A form of learning where a conditioned stimulus is paired with a new stimulus, creating a second conditioned stimulus.
How is classical conditioning used in therapy?
Through techniques like counterconditioning to change unwanted behaviors.
What are taste aversions?
A learned avoidance of a particular food that occurs after a negative experience.
What is biological preparedness?
The inherent inclination of certain animals to form associations between specific stimuli and responses.
Define habituation.
A decrease in response to a stimulus after repeated presentations.
What is operant conditioning?
A method of learning that occurs through rewards and punishments for behavior.
What does the Law of Effect state?
Behaviors followed by favorable consequences become more likely, while behaviors followed by unfavorable consequences become less likely.
Differentiate between reinforcement and punishment.
Reinforcement increases behavior, while punishment decreases behavior.
What is positive reinforcement?
Introducing a pleasant stimulus to increase a behavior.
What is negative reinforcement?
Removing an unpleasant stimulus to increase a behavior.
Define positive punishment.
Introducing an unpleasant stimulus to decrease a behavior.
What is negative punishment?
Removing a pleasant stimulus to decrease a behavior.
What are primary reinforcers?
Innately satisfying reinforcers, such as food or water.
What are secondary reinforcers?
Learned reinforcers that acquire value through association with primary reinforcers.
What is reinforcement discrimination?
Differentiating between stimuli that signal the presence or absence of reinforcement.
What is reinforcement generalization?
The tendency to respond similarly to different but similar stimuli.
Define shaping.
The process of reinforcing successive approximations to a desired behavior.
What is instinctive drift?
The tendency for animals to revert to instinctive behaviors that interfere with conditioned responses.
What are superstitious behaviors?
Behaviors that are believed to lead to a desired outcome based on coincidental reinforcement.
What is learned helplessness?
A condition in which a person feels unable to control or change a situation, leading to passive behavior.
What are the schedules of reinforcement?
Rules that determine how and when reinforcement is delivered.
Differentiate between continuous and partial reinforcement.
Continuous reinforcement provides reinforcement after every response; partial reinforcement provides it intermittently.
What is a fixed ratio schedule?
A reinforcement schedule that delivers reinforcement after a set number of responses.
What is a variable ratio schedule?
A reinforcement schedule that delivers reinforcement after an unpredictable number of responses.
What is a fixed interval schedule?
A reinforcement schedule that delivers reinforcement after a fixed amount of time.
What is a variable interval schedule?
A reinforcement schedule that delivers reinforcement after varying amounts of time.
What pattern of responses does a fixed interval schedule produce?
A scalloped graph pattern.
What is social learning theory?
A theory that posits that people learn from one another through observation, imitation, and modeling.
Define observational learning.
Learning that occurs through observing the behavior of others.
What is vicarious conditioning?
Learning that occurs by observing the consequences of another’s behavior.
What is modeling in the context of learning?
The process of learning behaviors by observing and imitating others.
What is insight learning?
A type of learning that involves a sudden realization of a problem’s solution.
What is latent learning?
Learning that occurs without reinforcement and is not immediately reflected in behavior.
What are cognitive maps?
Mental representations of physical locations.
