Acquisition
Phase of classical conditioning
when the CS and the US are
presented together
Experience
knowledge or skill that comes from having done certain things.
Habituation
General process in which repeated
or prolonged exposure to a
stimulus results in a gradual reduction in response
Behaviorism
the science of behavior that focuses on observable behavior only
Classical Conditioning (reactive)
When a neutral stimulus produces a response after being paired with a stimulus that naturally produces a response
Unconditional Stimulus (US)
Something that reliably produces a naturally occurring reaction in an organism
Unconditioned Response (UR)
Reflexive reaction that is reliably produced by an unconditioned stimulus
Conditioned Stimulus (CS)
Stimulus that is initially neutral and produces no reliable response in an organism
Conditioned Response (CR)
Reaction that resembles an unconditioned response but is produced by a conditioned stimulus
Extinction
Gradual elimination of a learned response that occurs when the us is no longer presented
Spontaneous Recovery
Tendency of a learned behavior to recover from extinction after a rest period
Generalization
Process by which the Conditioned response is observed even though the Conditioned Stimulus is slightly different from the original one used during acquisition.
Discrimination
Capacity to distinguish between similar but distinct stimuli
Operant Conditioning (active)
Type of learning in which the consequences of behavior determine whether it will be repeated in the future
Thorndike’s Law of Effect
behaviors that are followed by a “satisfying state of affairs” tend to be repeated, and those that produce an unpleasant state of affairs” are less likely to be repeated.
Operant Behavior
Behavior an organism produces that has some impact on the environment; coined by B.F. Skinner (1904–1990)
Reinforcement (increase)
Any stimulus or event that functions to
increase the likelihood
of the behavior that led to it; more effective than punishment in
promoting learning
Punishment (decrease)
Any stimulus or event that functions
to decrease the likelihood
of the behavior that led to it
Positive Reinforcement
any stimulus whose presentation INCREASES the future probability of a behavior.
Negative Reinforcement
any negative stimulus whose removal INCREASES the future probability of a behavior.
Positive Punishment
presentation of unpleasant stimulus following a behavior leading to DECREASE in future occurrence of behavior
Negative Punishment
emoval of pleasant stimulus
following a behavior leading to
DECREASE in future occurrence of behavior.
Primary Reinforcer
satisfy biological needs
Secondary Reinforcer
help use to obtain primary reinforcers and therefore derive their effectiveness
Timing of Reinforcer and Punishment
conditioning stronger when reinforcer presented immediately after desired behavior occurs
Interval Schedule
A program by which reinforcement depends on the time interval elapsed since the last reinforcement.
Fixed Interval
Reinforcements are presented at fixed time periods, provided the appropriate response is made
Variable Interval
Behavior is reinforced based on a varying amount time that has expired since the last reinforcement.
Ratio Schedule
reinforcement based on number of responses.
Fixed Ratio
Reinforcement is delivered after a specific number of responses have been made.
Variable Ratio
Delivery of reinforcement is based on a varied number of responses.
Continuous Reinforcement
When all responses made are followed by reinforcement. This establishes a behavior quickly but behavior better maintained by intermittent reinforcement.
Shaping
Learning that results from the
reinforcement of successive steps
to a final desired behavior
Superstitious Behavior
Rare or odd behaviors may be
repeated if they are accidentally
reinforced, which may lead to mistaken beliefs regarding causal relationships
Latent Learning
Condition in which something is learned but it is not manifested as a behavioral change until sometime in the future
Cognitive Map
Mental representation of the
physical features of the environment
Observational Learning
Condition in which learning takes place by watching the actions of others
Implicit Learning
Learning that takes place largely without awareness of the process or the products of information acquisition
Bobo Doll Study
Psychologist: Bandura
Description: Children watched (through a one way glass)a
confederate play with the BoBo doll and then played with the BoBo doll
in the same way as the confederate
Significance: used to develop "observational learning"
Practice Testing
Self-testing or taking practice tests over to-be-learned material
Massed Practice
Studying information with little
or no time between repetition
Distributed Practice
Spreading out study activities with more time between repetition of the to-be-learned information