Psy 120 Chapter 7

Front 1

classical conditioning

Back 1

A set of procedures used to investigate how organisms learn about the signaling properties of events. Classical conditioning involves learning relations between events—conditioned and unconditioned stimuli—that occur outside of one's control.

Front 2

conditioned inhibition

Back 2

Learning that an event signals the absence of the unconditioned stimulus.

Front 3

conditioned reinforcer

Back 3

A stimulus that has acquired reinforcing properties through prior learning.

Front 4

conditioned response (CR)

Back 4

The acquired response that is produced by the conditioned stimulus in anticipation of the unconditioned stimulus.

Front 5

conditioned stimulus (CS)

Back 5

The neutral stimulus that is paired with the unconditioned stimulus during classical conditioning.

Front 6

discriminative stimulus

Back 6

The stimulus situation that sets the occasion for a response to be followed by reinforcement or punishment.

Front 7

extinction

Back 7

Presenting a conditioned stimulus repeatedly, after conditioning, without the unconditioned stimulus, resulting in a loss in responding.

Front 8

fixed-interval (FI) schedule

Back 8

A schedule in which the reinforcement is delivered for the first response that occurs following a fixed interval of time.

Front 9

fixed-ratio (FR) schedule

Back 9

A schedule in which the number of responses required for reinforcement is fixed and does not change.

Front 10

habituation

Back 10

The decline in the tendency to respond to an event that has become familiar through repeated exposure.

Front 11

law of effect

Back 11

If a response in a particular situation is followed by a satisfying consequence, it will be strengthened. If a response in a particular situation is followed by an unsatisfying consequence, it will be weakened.

Front 12

learning

Back 12

A relatively permanent change in behavior, or potential behavior, that results from experience.

Front 13

modeling

Back 13

The natural tendency to imitate the behavior of significant others.

Front 14

negative punishment

Back 14

An event that, when removed after a response, lowers the likelihood of that response occurring again.

Front 15

observational learning

Back 15

Learning by observing the experience of others.

Front 16

operant conditioning

Back 16

A procedure for studying how organisms learn about the consequences of their own voluntary actions (also called instrumental conditioning).

Front 17

orienting response

Back 17

An inborn tendency to notice and respond to novel or surprising events.

Front 18

partial reinforcement schedule

Back 18

A schedule in which reinforcement is delivered only some of the time after the response has occurred.

Front 19

positive punishment

Back 19

An event that, when presented after a response, lowers the likelihood of that response occurring again.

Front 20

positive reinforcement

Back 20

An event that, when presented after a response, increases the likelihood of that response.

Front 21

punishment

Back 21

Consequences that decrease the likelihood of responding in a similar way again.

Front 22

reinforcement

Back 22

Response consequences that increase the likelihood of responding in a similar way again.

Front 23

schedule of reinforcement

Back 23

A rule that an experimenter uses to determine when particular responses will be reinforced.

Front 24

second-order conditioning

Back 24

A procedure in which an established conditioned stimulus is used to condition a second neutral stimulus.

Front 25

sensitization

Back 25

Increased responsiveness, or sensitivity, to an event that has been repeated.

Front 26

shaping

Back 26

A procedure in which reinforcement is delivered for successive approximations of the desired response.

Front 27

spontaneous recovery

Back 27

The recovery of an extinguished conditioned response after a period of nonexposure to the conditioned stimulus.

Front 28

stimulus discrimination

Back 28

Responding differently to a new stimulus than how one responds to an established conditioned stimulus.

Front 29

stimulus generalization

Back 29

Responding to a new stimulus in a way similar to the response produced by an established conditioned stimulus.

Front 30

unconditioned response (UR)

Back 30

The observable response that is produced automatically, prior to training, on presentation of an unconditioned stimulus.

Front 31

unconditioned stimulus (US)

Back 31

A stimulus that automatically leads to an observable response prior to any training.

Front 32

variable-interval (VI) schedule

Back 32

A schedule in which the allotted time before a response will yield reinforcement varies from trial to trial.

Front 33

variable-ratio (VR) schedule

Back 33

A schedule in which a certain number of responses are required for reinforcement, but the number of required responses typically changes.