General Psychology, Test 2

Front 1

motivation

Back 1

A stimulus that can direct behavior, thinking, and feeling.

Front 2

incentive

Back 2

An association established between a behavior and its consequences, which then motivates behavior.

Front 3

extrinsic motivation

Back 3

The drive or urge to continue a behavior because of external reinforcers.

Front 4

intrinsic motivation

Back 4

The drive or urge to continue a behavior because of internal reinforcers.

Front 5

learning

Back 5

A relatively enduring change in behavior or thinking that results from experiences.

Front 6

habituation

Back 6

A basic form of learning evident when an organism does not respond as strongly or often to an event following multiple exposures to it.

Front 7

stimulus

Back 7

An event or occurrence that generally leads to a response.

Front 8

neutral stimulus

Back 8

A stimulus that does not cause a relevant automatic or reflexive response.

Front 9

classical conditioning (or Pavlovian conditioning)

Back 9

Learning process in which two stimuli become associated with each other; when an originally neutral stimulus is conditioned to elicit an involuntary response.

Front 10

unconditioned stimulus (UCS)

Back 10

A stimulus that automatically triggers an involuntary response without any learning needed.

Front 11

unconditioned response (UCR)

Back 11

A reflective, involuntary response to an unconditioned stimulus.

Front 12

conditioned stimulus (CS)

Back 12

A previously neutral stimulus that an organism learns to associate with an unconditioned stimulus.

Front 13

conditioned response (CR)

Back 13

A learned response to a conditioned stimulus.

Front 14

acquisition

Back 14

The initial learning phase in both classical and operant conditioning.

Front 15

stimulus generalization

Back 15

The tendency for stimuli similar to the conditioned stimulus to elicit the conditioned response.

Front 16

stimulus discrimination

Back 16

The ability to differentiate between a conditioned stimulus and other stimuli sufficiently different from it.

Front 17

extinction

Back 17

In classical conditioning, the process by which the CR decreases after repeated exposure to the CS in the absence of the UCS; in operant conditioning, the disappearance of a learned behavior through the removal of its reinforcer.

Front 18

spontaneous recovery

Back 18

In classical conditioning, the reappearance of the conditioned response following its extinction; occurs in response to the conditioned stimulus after a period of rest.

Front 19

higher order conditioning

Back 19

With repeated pairings of a conditioned stimulus and a neutral stimulus, the second neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus as well.

Front 20

conditioned taste aversion

Back 20

A form of classical conditioning that occurs when an organism learns to associate the taste of a particular food or drink with illness.

Front 21

adaptive value

Back 21

The degree to which a trait or behavior helps an organism survive.

Front 22

biological preparedness

Back 22

The tendency for animals to be predisposed or inclined to form associations.

Front 23

conditioned emotional response

Back 23

An emotional reaction acquired through classical conditioning; process by which an emotional reaction becomes associated with a previously neutral stimulus.

Front 24

operant conditioning

Back 24

Learning that occurs when voluntary actions become associated with their consequences.

Front 25

law of effect

Back 25

Thorndike's principle stating that behaviors are more likely to be repeated when followed by pleasurable outcomes, and those followed by something unpleasant are less likely to be repeated.

Front 26

reinforcers

Back 26

Consequences, such as events or objects, that increase the likelihood of a behavior reoccurring.

Front 27

reinforcement

Back 27

Process by which an organism learns to associate a voluntary behavior with its consequences.

Front 28

behaviorism

Back 28

The scientific study of observable behavior.

Front 29

shaping

Back 29

The use of reinforcers to guide behavior to the acquisition of a desired, complex behavior.

Front 30

successive approximations

Back 30

A method of shaping that uses reinforcers to condition a series of small steps that gradually approach the target behavior.

Front 31

instinctive drift

Back 31

The tendency for animals to revert to instinctual behaviors after a behavior pattern has been learned.

Front 32

positive reinforcement

Back 32

The process by which pleasant reinforcers are added or presented following the targeted behavior, increasing the likelihood of it occurring again.

Front 33

negative reinforcement

Back 33

The removal of an unpleasant stimulus following a target behavior, which increases the likelihood of it occurring again.

Front 34

primary reinforcer

Back 34

A reinforcer that satisfies a biological need, such as food, water, physical contact; innate reinforcer.

Front 35

secondary reinforcer

Back 35

Reinforcers that do not satisfy biological needs but often gain their power through their association with primary reinforcers.

Front 36

continuous reinforcement

Back 36

A schedule of reinforcement in which every target behavior is reinforced.

Front 37

partial reinforcement

Back 37

A schedule of reinforcement in which target behaviors are reinforced intermittently, not continuously.

Front 38

partial reinforcement effect

Back 38

The tendency for behaviors acquired through intermittent reinforcement to be more resistant to extinction than those acquired through continuous reinforcement.

Front 39

fixed-ratio schedule

Back 39

A schedule in which the subject must exhibit a predetermined number of desired behaviors before a reinforcer is given.

Front 40

variable-ratio schedule

Back 40

A schedule in which the number of desired responses or behaviors that must occur before a reinforcer is given changes across trials and is based on an average number of responses to be reinforced.

Front 41

fixed-interval schedule

Back 41

A schedule in which the reinforcer comes after a preestablished interval of time goes by; the response or behavior is only reinforced after the given interval is over.

Front 42

variable-interval schedule

Back 42

A schedule in which the reinforcer comes after a preestablished interval of time goes by, but the length of the interval changes from trial to trial.

Front 43

punishment

Back 43

The application of a consequence the decreases the likelihood of a behavior recurring.

Front 44

positive punishment

Back 44

The addition of something unpleasant following an unwanted behavior, with the intention of decreasing that behavior.

Front 45

negative punishment

Back 45

The removal of something desirable following an unwanted behavior, with the intention of decreasing that behavior.

Front 46

model

Back 46

The individual or character whose behavior is being imitated.

Front 47

observational learning (or social cognitive learning)

Back 47

Learning that occurs as a result of watching the behavior of others.

Front 48

prosocial behaviors

Back 48

Actions that are kind, generous, and benefit others.