AP Psychology Unit 6 Vocabulary

A relatively permanent change in an organism's behavior due to experience.

An organism's decreasing response to a stimulus with repeated exposure to it.

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).

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

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, the unlearned, naturally occurring response to the unconditioned stimulus (US), such as salivation when food is in the mouth.

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

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

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 strengtheningof 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. (Also called second-order conditioning.)

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

The reapperance, 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.

In classical conditioning, the learned ability to distinguish between a conditioned stimulus and stimuli that do not signal an unconditioned stimulus.

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

Behavior that occurs as an automatic response to some stimulus.

A type of learning in which behavior is strengthened if followed by a reinforcer or diminshed if followed by a punisher.

Behavior that operates on the environment, producing consequences.

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

In operant conditioning research, 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.

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

In operant conditioning, a stimulus that elicits a response after association with reinforcement (in contrast to related stimuli not associated with reinforcement).

In operant conditioning, any event that strengthens the behavior it follows.

Increasing behaviors by presenting positive stimuli, such as food. This is any stimulus that, when presented after a response, strengthens the response.

Increasing behaviors by stopping or reducing negative stimuli, such as shock. This is any stimulus that, when removed after a response, strengthens the response. (Note: this is not punishment.)

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

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

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.

In operant conditioning, a reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response only after a specified number of responses.

In operant conditioning, a reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response after an unpredictable number of responses.

In operant conditioning, a reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response only after a specified time has elapsed.

In operant conditioning, a reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response at unpredictable time intervals.

An event that decreases the behavior that it follows.

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.

Learning that occurs but is not apparent until there is an incentive to demonstrate it.

A sudden and often novel realization of the solution to a problem.

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.

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

Learning by observing others. Also called social learning.

The process of observing and imitating a specific behavior.

Frontal lobe neurons that fire when performing certain actions or when observing another doing so. The brain's mirroring of another's action may enable imitation and empathy.

Positive, constructive, helpful behavior. The opposite of antisocial behavior.

Punishment...

Which of the following is an application of shaping?

Mirror neurons may...

Which of the following illustrates generalization?

Albert Bandura's Bobo doll experiments demonstrated that...

Robert Rescoria and Allan Wagner conducted experiments that established...

Edward Thorndike's law of effect...

To produce the acquisition of a conditioned response, one should...

To determine just what an organism can learn to distinguish, you would use...

A student studies long and hard to avoid the bad feelings associated with a low grade on a test. In this case, the studying behavior is being stregthened because of...

Taste aversion research has demonstrated that...

Mary checks her phone a couple times an hour for incoming text messages. Her behavior is being maintained on a ________ ________ reinforcement schedule.

A dog is trained to salivate when it hears a tone. Then the tone is sounded repeatedly without a US until the dog stops salivating. Later, when the tone sounds again, the dog salivates again. This is a description of...

Latent learning demonstrates that...

Classical and operant conditiong were both initially based on the principles of...

Our capacity to learn new bethaviors that help us cope with changing circumstances.

A relatively permanent behavior change due to experience.

What are the three types of learning?

What do we learn by?

The process of learning associations.

In this type of conditioning, we learn to associate two stimuli and thus to anticipate events.

In this type of conditioning, we learn to associate a response (our behavior) and its consequences and thus to repeat acts followed by good results and avoid acts followed by bad results.

Through this type of learning, we learn from others' experiences.

An example of this type of conditioning is we learn to expect and prepare for significant events such as food of pain.

An example of this type of conditoning is we also learn to repeat acts that bring good results and to avoid acts that bring bad results.

By watching others we learn new behaviors.

What did Pavlov's work lay the foundation for?

Something the participant can notice but doesn't associate with the US.

Conditioned =

Uncondtioned =

What are the five major conditioning processes?

Why is classical conditioning biologically adaptive?

Condtioning helps an animal survive and reproduce-by...

This higher-order conditioning tends to be weaker than first-stage conditioning, it influences our everyday lives. Is also called...

Biological influnces to learning.

Psychological influences to learning.

Social-cultural influences to learning.

The learned ability to distinguish between a conditioned stimulus (which predicts the US) and other irrelevant stimuli.

In their dismissal of "mentalistic" concepts such as consciousness, who underestimated the importance of cognitive processes (thoughts, perceptions, expectations) and biological constraints on an organism's learning capacity?

What did Robert Rescoria and Allan Wagner show?

An awareness of how likely it is that the US will occur.

When the CS is something stimilar to stimuli associated with sexual activity in the natural environment, such as the stuffed head of a female quail.

What does learning enable animals to do?

Why is Pavlov's work important? The importance lies in this finding:

Who showed us how a process such sa learning can be studied objectively?

1. Former drug users often feel a craving when they are again in the drug-using context-with people or in places they associate with previous highs.
2. When a particular taste accompanies a drug that influences immune response, the taste by itself may come to produce an immune response.

To teach an elephant to walk on its hind legs or a child to say please, we must turn to another type of learning-

These are both forms of associative learning.

Forms associations between stimuli ( a CS and the US it signals).

Behavior that operates on the environment to produce rewarding or punishing stimuli is called...

By asking Is the organism learning associations between events it does not control? Or is it learning associations between its behavior and resulting events? what can you distinguish?

Using Thorndike's law of effect as a starting point, what did Skinner develop?

For his pioneering stuides, Skinner designed an operant chamber, popularly known as a...

In his experiments, Skinner used this, a procedure in which reinforcers, such as food, gradually guide an animal's actions toward a desired behavior.

Description of this operant conditioning term is add a desirable stimulus.

Examples of this operant conditioning term are getting a hug; receiving a paycheck.

Discription of this operant conditioning term is remove an aversive stimulus.

Examples of this operant conditioning term is fasting seatbelt to turn off beeping.

What are two ways to increase behavior?

Strenghtens a response by presenting a typically pleasurable stimulus after a response.

Strengthens a response by reducing or removing something undesirable or unpleasant, as when an organism escapes an aversive situation.

Negative reinforcement is not...

Removes a punishing (aversive) event.

Whether it works by reducing something aversive, or by giving something desirable, this is any consequence that strengthens behavior.

Condioned reinforcers, get their power through learned association with primary reinforcers, are also called what?

Although initial learning is slower, intermittent reinforcement produces greater what than is found with continuous reinforcement?

Reinforcement linked to number of responses.

Reinforcement linked to amount of time.

Does a ratio schedule or an interval schedule produce a higher response rate?

Every so many: reinforcement after every n^th behavior, such as buy 10 coffees, get 1 free, or pay per product unit produced.

After an unpredictable number: reinforcement after a random number of behaviors, as when playing slot machines or fly-casting.

Every so often: reinforcement for behavior after a fixed time, such as Tuesday discount prices.

Unpredictably often: reinforcement for behavior after a random amount of time, as in checking for e-mail.

What produces more consistent responding, an unpredictable (variable) schedule or a preditable (fixed) schedule?

Variable-interval schedules reinforce the first response after _______ time intervals.

Any consequence that decreases the frequency of a preceding behavior.

What are the four drawbacks of physically punishing children?

Punishment tells you what not to do; reinforcement...

There is more learning than associating a response with a consequence; there is also...

Biological constraints predispose organisms to?

Description of this type of punisher is to administer an aversive stimulus.

Possible examples of this type of punisher are spanking; a parking ticket.

Description of this type of punisher is to withdraw a desirable stimulus.

Possible examples of this type of punisher are time-out from privileges (such as time with friends); revoked driver's license.

Basic idea of this type of conditioning is organims learn associations between events they don't control.

Basic idea of this type of conditioning is organisms learn associations between their behavior and resulting events.

Response of this type of conditioning is involuntary, automatic.

Response of this type of conditioning is voluntary, operates on environment.

Acquisition of this type of conditioning is associating events; CS announces US.

Acquisition of this type of conditioning is associating response with a consequence (reinforcer or punisher).

Extinction of this type of conditioning is CR decreases when CS is repeatedly presented alone.

Extinction of this type of conditioning is responding decreases when reinforcement stops.

Spontaneous recovery of this type of conditioning is the reappearance, after a rest period, of an extinguished CR.

Spontaneous recovery of this type of conditioning is the reappearance, after a rest period, of an extinguished response.

Generalization of this type of conditioning is the tendency to respond to stimuli similar to the CS.

Generalization of this type of conditioning is organims; response to similar stimuli are also reinforced.

Discrimination of this type of conditioning is the learned ability to distinguish between a CS and other stimuli that do not signal a US.

Discrimination of this type of conditioning is organims learn that certain response, but not others, will be reinforced.

Cognitive processes of this conditioning is organisms develop expectation that CS signals the arrival of US.

Cognitive processes of this type of of conditioning is organisms develop expectation that response will be reinforced or punished; they also exhibit latent learning, without reinforcement.

Biological predispositions of this type of conditioning is natural predispositions constrain what stimuli and responses can easily be associated.

Biological predispositions of this type of conditioning is organims best learn behaviors similar to their natural behaviors; unnatural behaviors instctively drift back toward natural ones.

Skinner and others worked toward a day when teaching machines and textbooks would shape learning in small steps, immediately reinforcing correct response (such as use of computers).

The key is to shape behavior, by first reinforcing small successes and then gradually increasing the challenge.

Reward specific, achievable behaviors, not vaguely defined "merit".

Operant conditioning principles also reminds us that reinforcement should be..?

To disrupt this cycle, parents should remember the basic rule of shaping:

To do this, you need to reinforce your own desired behaviors and extinguish the undesired ones.

What are the four steps to build up your self-control?

Giving this type of stimulus is postive reinforcement; taking it away is negative punishment.

Giving this type of stimulus is positive punishment; taking it away is negative reinforcement.

Higher animals, especially humans, can learn without direct experience, through observational learning because we learn by observing and initiating others. Also called..?

Mirror neurons help give rise to children's empathy and to their ability to infer another's mental state, an ability known as...

What do our brain's mirror neurons underlie?

What do many business organizations use to train communications, sales, and customer service skills?

Observational learning may have...

What are the two factors that seem to stem from the violence-viewing effect?

Why is Pavlov's work important?

Expanding on Edward Thorndike's law of effect, B.F. Skinner and others found that?

What did Skinner underestimate?

What do Albert Bandura's experiments on observational learning (also called social learning) demonstrate?