PSYC 1101: Operant Conditioning Study Guide

Thorndike's law of effect

Behaviors followed by favorable consequences are more likely to be repeated

Skinner

Behaviorist known for operant conditioning principles

Skinner box (operant chamber)

Experimental apparatus for studying animal behavior

Positive reinforcement

Increases behavior by adding positive stimuli

Negative reinforcement

Increases behavior by removing negative stimuli

Positive Punishment

Adds negative consequence to reduce undesired behavior

Negative Punishment

Removes desired stimulus to reduce undesired behavior

Shaping

Reinforcing behaviors closer to desired behavior

Primary and secondary reinforcers

Innately satisfying vs. learned reinforcing stimuli

Immediate and delayed reinforcers

Instant vs. postponed reinforcing stimuli

Reinforcement schedules

Patterns determining when behavior is reinforced

Drawbacks of punishment

Limitations of using punishment in behavior modification

Tolman's maze

Demonstrates cognitive factors in learning beyond conditioning

Biopsychosocial approach

Incorporates biological, psychological, and social factors

Bearnaise sauce effect

Preference for ecologically relevant stimuli

Instinctive drift

Tendency for animals to revert to instinctual behaviors

Intrinsic and extrinsic motivations

Internal vs. external drives for behavior

Observational learning

Learning by observing others' behaviors

Bandura and the bobo doll

Study on aggression and observational learning

Mirror neurons

Neurons that fire when observing others' actions

Pro and antisocial effects

Positive and negative impacts of observational learning

Encoding

Processing information into memory

Storage

Retaining encoded information over time

Retrieval

Recalling stored information when needed

Recall

Retrieving information without external cues

Recognition

Identifying previously learned information

Explicit (declarative)

Conscious recall of facts and events

Implicit (non declarative)

Unconscious retention of learned skills

Automatic and effortful processing

Unconscious vs. conscious encoding of information

Shallow and deep processing

Superficial vs. meaningful encoding of information

Episodic and semantic memory

Personal experiences vs. general knowledge memory

Procedural memory

Memory for skills and procedures

Chunking

Organizing information into manageable units

Mnemonics

Memory aids or techniques

Hierarchies (ie organizational structure)

Organizing information into categories and subcategories

Sensory memory- echoic and iconic

Brief storage of sensory information

STM: 7 ± 2- miller

Limited capacity of short-term memory

Spaced practice

Distributing study sessions over time

Testing effect

Enhanced memory retention through retrieval practice

Brain areas associated with memory

Regions responsible for different memory functions

Memory issues

Problems affecting memory function

Anterograde and retrograde amnesia

Inability to form new memories vs. loss of past memories

Peg system

Memory aid using pegs to associate information

Roman room - method of loci

Memory technique associating items with locations

Factors that aid encoding

Elements that improve memory formation

Visual imagery

Creating mental pictures to aid memory

Self-reference effect

Better memory retention by relating information to oneself

Generation effect

Enhanced memory by generating information

Organizing to-be-remembered information

Structuring information for better memory recall

Relating words to survival value

Linking information to survival instincts for better recall

Retrieval practice

Recalling information to enhance memory retention

Distributed storage of LTM

Spreading information across long-term memory for better retention

Sleep helps consolidation!

Sleep aids in memory processing and retention

Priming

Earlier exposure influencing later behavior

Propaganda effect

Repetition leading to belief in information

Mere exposure effect

Preference for familiar stimuli

Emotions

Strong feelings influencing memory formation

Flashbulb memories

Vivid but potentially inaccurate recollections

Memory consolidation

Stabilizing and storing memories

Long term potentiation (LTP)

Persistent strengthening of synapses

Network changes

Alterations in neural connections for memory

Retrieval cues

Stimuli triggering memory recall

State dependent encoding (context cues)

Memory retrieval influenced by environmental context

Baddeley's diver study

Research supporting state-dependent memory

Serial position curve

Tendency to recall items at beginning and end of a list

Primacy effect (LTM)

Tendency to remember items at the beginning of a list

Recency effect (STM)

Tendency to remember items at the end of a list

Autobiographical Memory

Personal memories of significant life events

HSAM

Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory phenomenon

Forgetting

Inability to retrieve stored information

Encoding failure

Information not properly processed for memory storage

Storage decay

Fading of memories over time

Retrieval failure

Inability to recall stored information

Memory over the lifespan

Changes in memory function across age

Reminiscence bump

Tendency to recall more memories from adolescence and early adulthood

Memory construction errors

Inaccuracies in memory recall

Illusory truth effect

Repetition leading to belief in false information

Source misattribution

Attributing memories to the wrong source

Eye witness testimony (especially in children)

Recollection of events influenced by suggestion or misinformation

Memory Updating & reconsolidation

Process of modifying and re-storing memories

PTSD

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder affecting memory and emotions

EMDR

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy for trauma