Operant Conditioning and Social Learning

This set of flashcards covers key terms and concepts related to operant conditioning and social learning, including definitions and types of reinforcement and punishment.

Primary Reinforcers

Basic biological needs we all share.

Secondary Reinforcers

Things we learn to value.

Positive Reinforcement

Addition of a pleasant stimulus likely to strengthen behavior in the future.

Negative Reinforcement

Removal of an unpleasant stimulus likely to strengthen behavior in the future.

Positive Punishment

Addition of an unpleasant stimulus likely to weaken behavior in the future.

Negative Punishment

Removal of a pleasant stimulus likely to weaken behavior in the future.

Continuous Reinforcement

Reinforcement that occurs every time the correct behavior occurs.

Partial Reinforcement

Reinforcement happens on a time-based schedule.

Fixed-Interval Schedule

Stimulus happens at a certain time within a set limit.

Variable-Interval Schedule

Stimulus will occur at any time randomly within a set time limit.

Fixed-Ratio Schedule

Stimulus will happen after a set number of occurrences.

Variable-Ratio Schedule

Stimuli will happen randomly during a set number of occurrences.

Social Learning

Learning by observation, imitation, and modeling.

Preparation

All of the information needs to be present.

Incubation

Thinking about something unconsciously.

Insight

Suddenly discovering a solution to a problem.

Verification

Testing our solution to see if it is correct.

Latent Learning

Learning with observation, but we are unaware of it.

Cognitive Map

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