Learning And Memory Chapter 5

Front 1

Accidental Reinforcement

Back 1

An instance in which the delivery of a reinforcer happens to coincide with a particular response, even though that response was not responsible for the reinforcer presentation.

Front 2

Adventitious Reinforcement

Back 2

An instance in which the delivery of a reinforcer happens to coincide with a particular response, even though that response was not responsible for the reinforcer presentation.

Front 3

Appetitive Stimulus

Back 3

A pleasant or satisfying stimulus that can be used to positively reinforce an instrumental response.

Front 4

Aversive Stimulus

Back 4

An unpleasant or annoying stimulus that can be used to punish an instrumental response.

Front 5

Avoidance

Back 5

An instrumental conditioning procedure in which the instrumental repines prevents the delivery of an aversive stimulus.

Front 6

Belongingness

Back 6

The theoretical idea, originally proposed by Thorndike, that an organism's evolutionary history makes certain responses fit or belong with certain reinforcers. It facilitates learning.

Front 7

Conditioned Reinforcer

Back 7

A stimulus that becomes an effective reinforcer because of its association with a primary or unconditioned reinforcer.

Front 8

Contiguity

Back 8

The occurrence of two events, such as a response and a reinforcer, very close together in time.

Front 9

Differential Reinforcer of Other Behavior (DRO)

Back 9

An instrumental conditioning procedure in which a positive reinforcer is periodically delivered only if the participant does something other than the target response.

Front 10

Discrete-Trail Procedure

Back 10

A method of instrumental conditioning in which the participant can perform the instrumental response only during specific periods, usually determined either by placement of the participant in an experimental chamber, or by the presentation of a stimulus.

Front 11

Escape

Back 11

An instrumental conditioning procedure in which the instrumental response terminates an aversive stimulus.

Front 12

Free-Operant Procedure

Back 12

A method of instrumental conditioning that permits repeated performance of the instrumental response without intervention by the experimenter.

Front 13

Instinctive Drift

Back 13

A gradual drift of instrumental behavior away from the responses required for reinforcement to species-typical, or instinctive, responses related to the reinforcer and to other stimuli in the experimental situation.

Front 14

Instrumental Behavior

Back 14

An activity that occurs because it is effective in producing a particular consequence or reinforcer.

Front 15

Interim Response

Back 15

A response that increases in frequency after the delivery of a periodic reinforcer, and then declines as time for the next reinforcer approaches.

Front 16

Latency

Back 16

The time between the start of a trail (or the start of a stimulus) and the instrumental response.

Front 17

Law of Effect

Back 17

A rule for instrumental behavior, proposed by Thorndike, which states that if a response in the presence of a stimulus is followed by a satisfying event, the association between the stimulus and the response will be strengthened; if the response is followed by an annoying event, the association will be weakened.

Front 18

Learned-Helplessness Effect

Back 18

Interference with the learning of new instrumental responses as a result of exposure to inescapable and unavoidable aversive stimulation.

Front 19

Learned-Helplessness Hypothesis

Back 19

A theoretical idea that assumes that during exposure to inescapable and unavoidable aversion stimulation participation learn that their behavior does not control environmental events. This reduces motivation to respond and disrupts subsequent instrumental conditioning.

Front 20

Magazine Training

Back 20

A preliminary stage of instrumental conditioning in which a stimulus is repeatedly paired with the reinforcer to enable the participant to learn to go and get the reinforcer when it is presented. The sound of the food-delivery device, for example, may be repeatedly paired with food so that the animal will learn to go to the food cup when food is delivered.

Front 21

Marking Procedure

Back 21

A procedure in which the instrumental response is immediately followed by a distinctive event (the participant is picked up or flash of light is presented) that makes the instrumental response more memorable and helps overcome the deleterious effects of delayed reinforcement.

Front 22

Negative Contrast

Back 22

Less responding for a less desired or small reinforcer following previous experience with a more desired or large reinforcer than in the absence of such prior experience.

Front 23

Negative Reinforcement

Back 23

An instrumental conditioning procedure in which there is a negative contingency between the instrumental response and an aversion stimulus. If the instrumental response is performed, the aversive stimulus is terminated or canceled; if the instrumental response in not performed, the aversive stimulus is presented.

Front 24

Omission Training

Back 24

An instrumental conditioning procedure in which the instrumental response prevents the delivery of a reinforcing stimulus.

Front 25

Operant Response

Back 25

A response is defined by the effect it produces in the environment. Examples include pressing a lever and opening a door. Any sequence of movements that depresses the lever or opens the door constitutes an instance of that particular operant.

Front 26

Positive Contrast

Back 26

A greater response for a favorable or large reinforcer following previous experience with a less desired or small reinforcer, than in the absence of such prior experience.

Front 27

Positive Reinforcement

Back 27

An instrumental conditioning procedure in which there is a positive contingency between the instrumental response and a reinforcing stimulus. If the participant performs the response, it receives the reinforcing stimulus; if the participant does not perform the response, it does not receive the reinforcing stimulus.

Front 28

Punishment

Back 28

An instrumental conditioning procedure in which there is a positive contingency between the instrumental response and an aversive stimulus. If the participant performs the instrumental response, it receives the aversion stimulus; if the participant does not perform the instrumental response, it does not receive the aversion stimulus.

Front 29

Response-Reinforcer Contingency

Back 29

The relation of a response to a reinforcer defined in terms of the probability of getting reinforced for making the response as compared to the probability of getting reinforced in the absence of the response.

Front 30

Running Speed

Back 30

How fast (e.g., in feet per second) an animal moves down a runway.

Front 31

Secondary Reinforcer

Back 31

stimulus that becomes an effective reinforcer because of its association with a primary or unconditioned reinforcer.

Front 32

Shaping

Back 32

Reinforcement of successive approximations to a desired instrumental response.

Front 33

Superstitious Behavior

Back 33

Behavior that increases in frequency because of accidental pairings of the delivery of a reinforcer with occurrences of the behavior.

Front 34

Temporal Contiguity

Back 34

The occurrence of two events, such as a response and a reinforcer, very close together in time.

Front 35

Temporal Relation

Back 35

The time interval between an instrumental response and the reinforcer.

Front 36

Terminal Response

Back 36

A response that is most likely at the end of the interval between successive reinforcements that are presented at fixed intervals.