Chapter 7: Learning

Front 1

Learning

Back 1

The acquisition of new knowledge, skills, or response from experience that result in a relatively permanent change in the state of the learner

Front 2

Classical conditioning

Back 2

When a neutral stimulus produces a response after being paired with a stimulus that naturally produces a response

Front 3

Unconditioned stimulus

Back 3

Something that reliability produces a naturally occurring reaction in an organism

Front 4

Unconditioned response

Back 4

A reflexive reaction that is reliably produced by an unconditioned stimulus

Front 5

Conditioned stimulus

Back 5

A stimulus that is initially neutral and produces no reliable response in an organism

Front 6

Conditioned response

Back 6

A reaction that resembles an unconditioned response but is produced by a conditioned stimulus

Front 7

Acquisition

Back 7

The phase of classical conditioning when the CS and US are presented together

Front 8

Second-order conditioning

Back 8

Conditioning where the stimulus that functions as the US is actually the CS from an earlier procedure in which it acquired its ability to produce learning

Front 9

Extinction

Back 9

The gradual elimination of a learned response that occurs when the US is no longer presented

Front 10

Spontaneous recovery

Back 10

The tendency of a learned behavior to recover from extinction after a rest period

Front 11

Generalization

Back 11

The CR is observed even though the CS is slightly different from the original one used during acquisition

Front 12

Discrimination

Back 12

The capacity to distinguish between similar but distinct stimuli

Front 13

Delay conditioning

Back 13

The CS is followed immediately by the US

Front 14

Trace conditioning

Back 14

Same as delay conditioning, but there is a brief interval of time after the tone ends and before the US is delivered

Front 15

Biological preparedness

Back 15

A propensity for learning particular kinds of associations over others

Front 16

Operant conditioning

Back 16

A type of learning in which the consequences of an organism's behavior determine whether it will be repeated in the future

Front 17

Law of Effect

Back 17

Behaviors that are followed by a "satisfying state of affairs" tend to be repeated and those that produce an "unpleasant state affairs" are less likely to be repeated

Front 18

Operant behavior

Back 18

Behavior that an organism produces that has some impact on the environment

Front 19

Reinforcer

Back 19

Any stimulus or event that functions to increase the likelihood of the behavior that led to it

Front 20

Punisher

Back 20

Any stimulus or event that functions to decrease the likelihood of the behavior that led to it

Front 21

Primary reinforcers

Back 21

Help satisfy biological needs

Front 22

Secondary reinforcers

Back 22

Derive their effectiveness from their associations with primary reinforcers through classical conditioning

Front 23

Fixed interval schedule

Back 23

Reinforcers are presented at fixed times, provided that the appropriate response is made

Front 24

Variable interval schedule

Back 24

Behavior is reinforced based on an average time that has expired since the last reinforcement

Front 25

Fixed ratio schedule

Back 25

Reinforcement is delivered after a specific number of responses have been made

Front 26

Variable ratio schedule

Back 26

The delivery of reinforcement is based on a particular average number of responses

Front 27

Intermittent reinforcement

Back 27

When only some of the responses are followed by reinforcement

Front 28

Intermittent-reinforcement effect

Back 28

The fact that operant behaviors that are under intermittent-reinforcement schedules resist extinction better than those maintained under continuous reinforcement

Front 29

Shaping

Back 29

Learning that results from the reinforcement of successive steps to a final behavior

Front 30

Latent learning

Back 30

Something is learned, but it is not manifested as a behavioral change until sometime in the future

Front 31

Cognitive map

Back 31

A mental representation of the physical features of the environment

Front 32

Observational learning

Back 32

Learning takes place by watching the actions of others

Front 33

Diffusion chain

Back 33

Individuals initially learn a behavior by observing another individual perform that behavior and then serve as a model from which other individuals learn behavior

Front 34

Implicit learning

Back 34

Learning that takes place largely independent of awareness of both the process and the products of information acquisition

Front 35

Habituation

Back 35

A general process in which repeated or prolonged exposure to a stimulus results in a gradual reduction in responding