Psych unit 6 – Flashcards

The process of acquiring new and relatively enduring information or behaviors Relatively permanent change in behavior; ability to change behavior due to some experience Ex. reading or riding a bike

Any event or situation that evokes a response

A type of learning in which one learns to link two or more stimuli and anticipate events Involuntary; automatic

A type of learning in which behavior is strengthened if followed by a reinforcer or diminished if followed by a punisher Voluntary; operates on environment

The acquisition of mental information, whether by observing events, by watching others, or through language

The view that psychology (1) should be an objective science that (2) studies behavior without reference to mental processes. Most research psychologists today agree with (1) but not with (2)

In classical conditioning, an unlearned, naturally occurring response (such as salivation) to an unconditioned stimulus (US) (such as food in the mouth)

In classical conditioning, a stimulus that unconditionally—naturally and automatically—triggers a response

In classical conditioning, a learned response to a previously neutral (but now conditioned) stimulus

In classical conditioning, an originally irrelevant stimulus that, after association with an unconditioned stimulus (US), comes to trigger a conditioned response

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

A procedure in which the conditioned 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 might then learn that a light predicts the tone and begin responding to the light alone

The diminishing of a conditioned response; occurs in classical conditioning when an unconditioned stimulus (US) does not follow a conditioned stimulus (CS); occurs in operant conditioning when a response is no longer reinforced

The reappearance, after a pause, of an extinguished conditioned response

The tendency, once a response has been conditioned, for stimuli similar to the conditioned stimulus to elicit similar responses

(1) in classical conditioning, the learned ability to distinguish between a conditioned stimulus and stimuli that do not signal an unconditioned stimulus. (2) in social psychology, unjustifiable negative behavior toward a group and its members

Counterconditioning to reduce fear or anxiety

If a person or animal is very familiar with a particular conditioned stimulus, then slower learning will occur in regards to the response from it

Learning

Discrimination

Anticipates events

Naturally triggers a response

Generalization

Behaviorism

Thorndike's principle that behaviors followed by favorable consequences become more likely, and that behaviors followed by unfavorable consequences become less likely

A chamber (also known as a Skinner box) containing a bar or key that an animal can manipulate to obtain a food or water reinforcer; attached devices record the animal's rate of bar pressing or key pecking

Any event that strengthens the behavior it follows

An operant conditioning procedure in which reinforcers guide behavior toward closer and closer approximations of the desired behavior

A stimulus that elicits a response after association with reinforcement (in contrast to related stimuli not associated with reinforcement)

Increasing behaviors by presenting positive reinforcers. A positive reinforcer is any stimulus that, when presented after a response, strengthens the response

An innately reinforcing stimulus, such as one that satisfies a biological need

Increasing behaviors by stopping or reducing negative stimuli. A negative reinforcer is any stimulus that, when removed after a response, strengthens the response

A stimulus that gains its reinforcing power through its association with a primary reinforcer; also known as a secondary reinforcer

A pattern that defines how often a desired response will be reinforced

Reinforcing the desired response every time it occurs

Reinforcing a response only part of the time; results in slower acquisition of a response but much greater resistance to extinction than does continuous reinforcement

A reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response only after a specified number of responses

A reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response after an unpredictable number of responses

A reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response at unpredictable time intervals Ex. going fishing

A reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response only after a specified time has elapsed Ex. studying for final, painkiller you take every hour

An event that tends to decrease the behavior that it follows

Teaching that if someone does something bad they get a reward Ex. Spraying water on a barking dog; give a traffic ticket for speeding

Withdrawal of a rewarding stimulus Ex. Take away a teen's driving privileges; revoke a library card for nonpayment of fines

Operant Conditioning

Something that elicits a response after association with a reinforcer

Law of Effect

High score on an exam for which a student studied diligently

A system for electronically recording, amplifying, and feeding back information regarding a subtle physiological state, such as blood pressure or muscle tension

Extinction

associates events

Spontaneous recovery

Respondent behavior

The accidental timing of rewards

Involuntary automatic response to something uncontrollable Ex. goosebumps or knee jerk

"fixed action patterns" or inborn patterns or behavior Ex. mating of animals

Associative Nonassociative Observational

Learning that certain events occur together. The events may be two stimuli (as in classical conditioning) or a response and its consequences (as in operant conditioning) Ex. Classical and Operant conditioning

Change the magnitude of responses to a kind of stimulus Ex. Habituation and Sensitization

A decrease in our reactions to repeated outcomes after we have experienced them and found them to be harmless Ex. bee: scary then harmless

An increase in our reactions to a wide range of stimuli after exposure to one very strong stimulus Ex. getting stung

Learning by watching and attempting to repeat Ex. Imitation, Mimicking, and Mirroring

Watching others get rewarded will make us more likely to repeat behaviors

Mimicking behavior from those you are strongly connected to

Attention Memory Reproduction Motivation

People who we find interesting are more likely to get our attention

Must obtain what we learn in order to repeat it

Must have the physical ability to do what you observed

Past or anticipated motivation or reinforcement will motivate us

Learning occurs in the absence of reinforcement

A mental representation of the layout of one's environment. For example, after exploring a maze, rats act as if they have learned a cognitive map of it

A sudden realization of a problem's solution; contrasts with strategy-based solutions

A desire to perform a behavior effectively for its own sake

A desire to perform a behavior to receive promised rewards or avoid threatened punishment

Attempting to alleviate stress directly—by changing the stressor or the way we interact with that stressor

Attempting to alleviate stress by avoiding or ignoring a stressor and attending to emotional needs related to one's stress reaction

The hopelessness and passive resignation an animal or human learns when unable to avoid repeated aversive events

The perception that chance or outside forces beyond our personal control determine our fate

The perception that you control your own fate

The ability to control impulses and delay short-term gratification for greater long-term rewards

Extrinsic motivation

Self-control

Cognitive maps

Internal locus of control

Insight

A kind of operant conditioning and positive reinforcement using tokens or money to increase behaviors

Observational learning

Biofeedback Discrimination Modeling Insight Creativity

The risk of misremembering our own actions

Observational learning

Classical conditioning Mouse, cheese, and light

Operant conditioning Behaviorism Dog and steak

Observational learning Shaping kids behavior by modeling; showing aggression in kids

Operant conditioning Behaviorism Trained kid to link a loud noise with a rat so that when he saw the rat he would be afraid