unit four vocab Flashcards
Ivan Pavlov
a Russian psychologist that developed classical conditioning theory of learning; conducted famous salivating dogs experiment to research classical conditioning
John B Watson
an American psychologist who established the psychological school of behaviorism; conducted an experiment with a little boy named Little Albert which dealt with classical conditioning
B.F. Skinner
developed the theory of operant conditioning
Edward L. Thorndike
Best-known for the theory he called the law of effect, which emerged from his research on how cats learn to escape from puzzle boxes.
John Garcia
an American psychologist mainly known for his research in taste aversion learning
Robert Rescorla
an early behaviorist that believed that learned behaviors of various animals could be reduced to mindless mechanics
Edward C. Tolman
a Cognitive Behaviorist who believed that animals had the ability to learn things that they could use later in a variety of ways.
Albert Bandura
came up with the social learning theory, stressed the importance of observational learning, imitation and modeling.
learning
Process of acquiring through experience new and relatively enduring information or behaviors
habituation
Decreasing responsiveness with repeated exposure to a stimulus
associative learning
learning that certain events occur together. The events may be two stimuli (as in classical conditioning) or a response and its consequence (as in operant conditioning)
stimulus
Any event or situation that evokes a response
respondent behavior
Behavior that occurs as an automatic response to some stimulus
operant behavior
behavior that operates on the environment, producing consequences
cognitive learning
the acquisition of mental information, whether by observing events, by watching others, or through language
classical conditioning
a type of learning in which we link two or more stimuli; as a result, to illustrate with Pavlov’s classic experiment, the first stimulus (a tone) comes to elicit behavior (drooling) in anticipation of the second stimulus (food),
behaviorism
The view that psychology should be (1) an objective science that (2) studies behavior without reference to the mental processes. Most psychologists agree to today with (1) but not with (2)
neutral stimulus (NS)
Classical conditioning, a stimulus that elicits no response before conditioning
unconditioned stimulus (US)
In conditioning, a stimulus that unconditionally naturally and automatically triggers an unconditioned response
unconditioned response (UR)
Classical conditioning, an unlearned, naturally occurring response such as salivation to an unconditioned stimulus 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 (CS)
in classical conditioning, an originally neutral stimulus that, after association with an unconditioned stimulus (US), comes to trigger a conditioned response (CR)
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
Procedure in which the condition stimulus in one conditioning experience is paired with a new neutral stimulus, creating a second, often weaker, conditioned stimulus. For example, an animal that has learned that a tone predicts food my den learned that a light protects the tone and begins responding to the light alone
extinction
the diminishing of a conditioned response; occurs in classical conditioning when an unconditioned stimulus (US) does not fooled a conditioned stimulus (CS); occurs in operant conditioning when a response is no longer reinforced
spontaneous recovery
the reappearance, after a pause, of an extinguished conditioned response
generalization
Tendency, once a response has been conditioned, for similar stimuli to the conditioned stimulus to elicit similar responses. ( in operant conditioning, generalization occurs when responses learn in one situation occurred any other, similar situations)
discrimination
In classical conditioning, the learned ability to distinguish between an conditioned stimulus and similar stimuli that do not signal an unconditioned stimulus. (in operant conditioning, the ability to distinguish responses that are reinforced from similar responses that are not reinforced)
operant conditioning
Hey type of learning in which a behavior becomes more likely to occur if followed by a reinforcer or less likely to react her if followed by a punisher
law of effect
Thorndike’s principle that behavior is 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 also known as a Skinner box containing a bar or a key that an animal can manipulate to obtain a food or water reinforcer; attached devices record of the animals rate of bar pressing or key pecking
reinforcement
in operant conditioning, any event that strengthens the behavior it follows
shaping
An operant conditioning procedure in which reinforcers guide behavior towards closer and closer approximations of the desired behavior
discriminative stimulus
in operant conditioning, a stimulus that elicits a response after association with reinforcement (in contrast to related stimuli not associated with reinforcement
positive reinforcement
Increasing behaviors by presenting positive reinforcer is. A positive reinforcer is any stimulus that, when presented after a response, strengthens a response
negative reinforcement
Increase behaviors by stopping or reducing aversive stimuli. A negative reinforcer is any stimulus that, when removed after a response, strengthens the response
primary reinforcer
an innately reinforcing stimulus, such as one that satisfies a biological need
conditioned reinforcer
a stimulus that gains its reinforcing power through its association with a primary reinforcer, also known as a secondary reinforcer
reinforcement schedule
Pattern that defines how often a desired response will be reinforced
continuous reinforcement schedule
reinforcing the desired response every time it occurs
partial (intermittent) reinforcement schedule
reinforcing a response only part of the time; result in slower acquisition of a response but much greater resistance to extinction then does continuous reinforcement
fixed- ratio schedule
In operant conditioning, a reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response only after a specified number of responses
variable-ratio schedule
In operation conditioning, a reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response after an unpredictable number of responses
punishment
An event tends to decrease the behavior that it follows
biofeedback
a system for electronically recording, amplifying, and feeding back information regarding a subtle physiological state, such as blood pressure or muscle tension.
preparedness
A biological predisposition to learn associations, such as between taste and nausea, that have survival value
instinctive drift
The tendency of learned behavior to gradually revert to biologically predisposed to patterns
cognitive map
a mental representation of the layout of one’s environment. For example, after exploring a maze, rats act as if they have learned the cognitive map of it.
latent learning
learning that occurs but it’s not apparent until there is an incentive to demonstrate it
insight
A sudden realization of a problem’s solution; contracts with strategy based solutions
intrinsic motivation
A desire to perform a behavior effectively for its own sake
extrinsic motivation
A desire to perform a behavior to receive promised rewards or avoid a threatened punishment
problem-focused coping
Attempting to be stress directly – by changing the stressor or the way we interact with that stressor
emotion-focused coping
attempting to alleviate stress by avoiding or ignoring a stressor and attending to emotional needs related to our stress reaction
personal control
our sense of controlling our environment rather than feeling helpless
learned helplessness
Hopelessness and passive resignation an animal or person learns when unable to avoid repeated aversive offense
external locus of control
the perception that chance or outside forces beyond our personal control determine our fate
internal locus of control
The perception that we control our own fate
self-control
The ability to control impulses and delay short term gratification for greater long-term rewards
observational learning
learning by observing others. aka social learning
modeling
the Process of observing and imitating a specific behavior
mirror neurons
Frontal lobe neurons that some scientists believe fire when we perform certain actions or observe another doing so. The brains mirroring of another action may enable imitation and empathy
prosocial behavior
Positive, constructive, helpful behavior. The opposite of antisocial behavior.
