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