Unit 6 Psychology

Front 1

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

Back 1

Learning

Front 2

an organism's decreasing response to a stimulus with repeated exposure to it

Back 2

Habituation

Front 3

learning that certain events occur together. The events may be two stimuli (as in classical conditioning) or a response and its consequence (as in operant conditioning)

Back 3

Associative Learning

Front 4

a type of learning in which one learns to link two or more stimuli and anticipate events

Back 4

Classical Conditioning

Front 5

the view that psychology (1) should be an objective science that (2) studies behavior without reference to mental processes. Most research psychologists today agree with (1) but not (2)

Back 5

Behaviorism

Front 6

in classical conditioning, the unlearned, naturally occurring response to the unconditioned stimulus (US), such as salivation when food is in the mouth

Back 6

Unconditioned Response (UR)

Front 7

in classical conditioning, a stimulus that unconditionally-- naturally and automatically-- triggers a response

Back 7

Unconditioned Stimulus (US)

Front 8

in classical conditioning, the learned response to a previously neutral (but now conditioned) stimulus (CS).

Back 8

Conditioned Response (CR)

Front 9

in classical conditioning, an originally irrelevant stimulus that after association with an unconditioned stimulus, comes to trigger a conditioned response

Back 9

Conditioned Stimulus (CS)

Front 10

in classical conditioning, the initial stage, when one links a neutral stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus so that the neutral stimulus begins triggering the conditioned response. In operant conditioning, the strengthening of a reinforced response

Back 10

Acquisition

Front 11

a procedure in which the conditioned stimulus in one conditioning experience is paired with a new neutral stimulus, creating a second (often weaker) conditioned stimulus.

Back 11

Higher-order Conditioning

Front 12

the diminishing of a conditioned response; occurs in classical conditioning when an unconditioned stimulus (US) does not follow a conditioned stimulus (CS); occurs in operant conditioning when a response is no longer enforced.

Back 12

Extinction

Front 13

the reappearance, after a pause, of an extinguished conditioned response.

Back 13

Spontaneous Recovery

Front 14

the tendency, once a response has been conditioned, for stimuli similar to the conditioned stimulus to elicit similar responses.

Back 14

Generalization

Front 15

in classical conditioning, the learned ability to distinguish between a conditioned stimulus and stimuli that do not signal an unconditioned stimulus.

Back 15

Discrimination

Front 16

the helplessness and passive resignation an animal or human learns when unable to avoid aversive events

Back 16

Learned Helplessness

Front 17

behavior that occurs as an automatic response to some stimulus

Back 17

Respondent Behavior

Front 18

type of learning in which behavior is strengthen if followed by a reinforcer or diminished if followed by a punisher

Back 18

Operant Conditioning

Front 19

Thorndike's principle that behaviors followed by favorable consequences become more likely, and that behaviors followed by unfavorable consequences become less likely

Back 19

Law of Effect

Front 20

in operant conditioning research, a chamber, also known as a Skinner Box, containing a bar or key that an animal can manipulate to obtain food or water reinforcer; attached devices record the animals rate of bar pressing or key pecking.

Back 20

Operant Chamber

Front 21

an operant conditioning procedure in which reinforcers guide behavior toward closer and closer approximations of the desired behavior

Back 21

Shaping

Front 22

in operant conditioning, a stimulus that elicits a response after association with reinforcement

Back 22

Discriminative Stimulus

Front 23

in operant conditioning, any event that strengthens the behavior it follows

Back 23

Reinforcer

Front 24

increasing behaviors by presenting positive stimuli, such as food.

Back 24

Positive Reinforcement

Front 25

increases behaviors by stopping or reducing negative stimuli, such as shock.

Back 25

Negative Reinforcement

Front 26

an innately reinforcer stimulus, such as one that satisfies a biological need.

Back 26

Primary Reinforcer

Front 27

a stimulus that gains its reinforcing power through its association with a primary reinforcer; also known as a secondary reinforcer

Back 27

Conditioned Reinforcer

Front 28

reinforcing the desired response every time it occurs

Back 28

Continuous Reinforcement

Front 29

reinforcing a response only part of the time; results in slower acquisition of a response but much greater resistance to extinction that does continuous reinforcement

Back 29

Partial Reinforcement

Front 30

in operant conditioning, a reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response only after a specific number of responses

Back 30

Fixed-Ratio Schedule

Front 31

in operant conditioning, a reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response after an unpredictable number of responses.

Back 31

Variable-Ratio Schedule

Front 32

in operant conditioning, a reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response only after a specific time has elapsed.

Back 32

Fixed-Interval Schedule

Front 33

in operant conditioning, a reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response at unpredictable time intervals.

Back 33

Variable-Interval Schedule

Front 34

an event that decreases the behavior that it follows

Back 34

Punishment

Front 35

a mental representation of the layout of one's environment.

Back 35

Cognitive Map

Front 36

learning that occurs but is not apparent until there is an incentive to demonstrate it

Back 36

Latent Learning

Front 37

a sudden and often novel realization of the solution to a problem

Back 37

Insight

Front 38

a desire to perform a behavior effectively for its own sake

Back 38

Intrinsic Motivation

Front 39

a desire to perform a behavior to receive promised rewards or avoid threatened punishment

Back 39

Extrinsic Motivation

Front 40

learning by observing others.

Back 40

Observational Learning

Front 41

the process of observing and imitating a specific behavior

Back 41

Modeling

Front 42

frontal lobe neurons that fire when performing certain actions or when observing another do so

Back 42

Mirror Neutrons

Front 43

positive, constructive, helpful behavior

Back 43

Prosocial Behavior