Week 6 Conditioning and Learning

Classical conditioning

The procedure in which an initially neutral stimulus (CS) is paired with an unconditioned stimulus (US), resulting in the CS eliciting a conditioned response (CR).

Instrumental (operant) conditioning

The process in which animals learn about the relationship between their behaviors and their consequences.

Conditioned stimulus (CS)

An initially neutral stimulus that elicits a conditioned response after being associated with an unconditioned stimulus.

Conditioned response (CR)

The response that is elicited by the conditioned stimulus after classical conditioning has occurred.

Unconditioned stimulus (US)

The stimulus that elicits an unconditioned response before conditioning occurs.

Unconditioned response (UR)

The naturally occurring response to the unconditioned stimulus before conditioning occurs.

Extinction

The decrease in strength of a learned behavior that occurs when the conditioned stimulus is presented without the unconditioned stimulus.

Blocking

The finding that no conditioning occurs to a stimulus if it is paired with a previously conditioned stimulus during conditioning trials.

Reinforcer

Any consequence of a behavior that strengthens the behavior or increases the likelihood of it being performed again.

Punisher

A stimulus that decreases the strength of an operant behavior when it is made a consequence of the behavior.

Positive Reinforcement

The addition of a desirable stimulus following a behavior to increase the likelihood of that behavior occurring again.

Negative Reinforcement

The removal of an aversive stimulus following a behavior to increase the likelihood of that behavior occurring again.

Positive Punishment

The addition of an aversive stimulus following a behavior to decrease the likelihood of that behavior occurring again.

Negative Punishment

The removal of a desirable stimulus following a behavior to decrease the likelihood of that behavior occurring again.

Goal-directed behavior

Instrumental behavior that is influenced by the knowledge of the association between the behavior and its consequence.

Social Learning Theory

The theory that people can learn new responses and behaviors by observing the behavior of others.

Observational learning

Learning that occurs by observing the behavior of others.

Spontaneous recovery

The recovery of an extinguished response that occurs after a period of time.

Discriminative stimulus

A stimulus that signals whether the response will be reinforced.

Stimulus Generalization

The tendency for the conditioned stimulus to evoke similar responses after the response has been conditioned.

Stimulus Discrimination

The ability to differentiate between a conditioned stimulus and other stimuli that have not been paired with an unconditioned stimulus.

Renewal effect

The recovery of an extinguished response that occurs when the context is changed after extinction.

Preparedness

The idea that an organism's evolutionary history makes it easier to learn a particular association.

Taste aversion learning

The phenomenon where a taste is paired with illness, leading to rejection of that taste in the future.

Vicarious reinforcement

Learning that occurs by observing the reinforcement or punishment of another person.

Stimulus control

When an operant behavior is controlled by a stimulus that precedes it.

Law of effect

The concept that operant responses are influenced by their consequences, strengthening followed by rewards and weakening by discomfort.

Habit

Instrumental behavior that occurs automatically in the presence of a stimulus and is insensitive to the value of the reinforcer.