Reinforcement and Its Roles

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts related to the role of reinforcement in creativity, superstitious behavior, and learned helplessness.

Reinforcement

A process in which a behavior is strengthened by the consequences that follow it.

Creativity

The ability to produce original and valuable ideas.

Learned Helplessness

The tendency to give up on a problem due to previous exposure to unsolvable problems.

Superstitious Behavior

Behavior that occurs repeatedly, even though it does not result in the reinforcers that maintain it.

Coincidental Reinforcement

When a behavior is strengthened due to a coincidental pairing with a reinforcer.

Learned Industriousness

The tendency to persist at a problem as a result of previous reinforcement of persistence.

Karen Pryor

A researcher noted for training dolphins and pigeons to produce novel behaviors using reinforcement.

Teresa Amabile

A psychologist who conducted experiments suggesting that rewards may reduce creativity.

Immunization Training

A training method that can produce resilience, preventing learned helplessness.

Contingency between behavior and reward

The relationship between the actions taken and the rewards received, which can influence behavior.