Psych - Learning

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Learning

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

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Associative learning

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organisms learn that certain events occur together; two variations of associative learning are classical conditioning and operant conditioning

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Behaviorism

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school of thought maintaining that psychology should be an objective science, study only observable behaviors, and avoid references to mental processes

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Classical conditioning - Pavlovian conditioning

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a type of learning in which a neutral stimulus becomes capable of eliciting a conditioned response after having become associated with an unconditioned stimulus

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unconditioned response (UCR)

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unlearned, involuntary response to the unconditioned stimulus

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Unconditioned stimulus (UCS)

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the stimulus that naturally and automatically elicits the reflexive unconditioned response

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Conditioned stimulus (CS)

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an originally neutral stimulis that comes to elicit a CR after association with an unconditioned stimulus

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Conditioned response (CR)

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the learned response to a previously neutral conditioned stimulus, which results from the acquired association between the CS and UCS

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Acquisition

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the initial stage of conditioning in which the new response is established and gradually strengthened. In operant conditioning, it is the strengthening of a reinforced response

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Extinction

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refers to the weakening of a CR when the CS is no longer followed by the UCS; in operant conditioning extinction occurs when a response is no longer reinforced

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Spontaneous recovery

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the reappearance of an extinguished CR after a rest period

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Generalization

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refers to the tendency, once a response has been conditioned, for stimuli similar to the original CS to evoke a CR

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Discrimination

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refers to the ability to distinguish the CS from similar stimuli that do not signal a UCS. In operand conditioning, responding differently to stimuli that signal a behavior will be reinforced or will not be reinforced

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Operant conditioning

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type of learning in which behavior is strenghtened if followed by reinforcement or diminished if followed by punishment

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Respondent behavior

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that which occurs as an automatic response to some stimulus

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Operant behavior

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behavior the organism emits that operates on the environment to produce reinforcing or punishing stimuli

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Law of effect

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E. L. Thorndike; states that rewarded behavior is likely to recur

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Operant chamber (Skinner box)

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an experimental chamber for the operant conditioning of an animal such as a pigeon or rat. The controlled environment enables the investigator to present visual or auditory stimuli, deliver reinforcement or punishment, and precisely measure simple responses such as bar presses or key pecking.

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Shaping

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operant conditioning procedure for establishing a new response by reinforcing successive approximations of the desired behavior.

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Reinforcer

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in OC, any event that strengthens the behavior it follows

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Primary reinforcers

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powers of these are inborn and do not depend on learning

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Conditioned reinforcers

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stimuli that qcquire their reinforcing power through their associaition with a primary reinforcer

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Continuous reinforcement

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the operant procedure of reinforcing the desired response every time it occurs; in promoting the acquisition of a new response it is best to use continuous reinforcement

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Partial (intermittent) reinforcement

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operant procedure of reinforcing a response intermittently; a resposne that has been partially reinforced is much more resistant to extinction than one that has been continuously reinforced

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Fixed-ratio schedule

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in OC, schedule in which reinforcement is presented after a set number of responses

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Variable-ratio schedule

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in OC, schedule in which reinforcement is presented after a varying number of responses

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Fixed-interval schedule

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in OC, schedule in which a response is reinforced after a specified tiem has elapsed

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Variable-interval schedule

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in OC, schedule in which responses are reinforced after varying intervals of time

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Punishment

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in OC, the presentation of an aversive stimulus, such as shock, which decreases the behavior it follows

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Cognitive map

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a mental picture of one's environment

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Latent learning

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learning that occurs in the absence of reinforcement but only becomes apparent when there is an incentive to demonstrate it

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Overjustification effect

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the undermining effect of being rewarded for something enjoyable

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Observaitonal learning

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learning by watching and then imitating a specific behavior and is thus an important means through which observational learning occurs

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Modeling

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the process of watching and then imitating a specific behavior and is thus an important menas through which observational learning occurs

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Prosocial behavior

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opposite of antisocial behavior; is postivie, helpful, and constructive, and is subject to the same principles of ovservaitonal learning as is undesirable behavior, such as aggression