AP PSYCHOLOGY UNIT 6 - BEHAVIORISM

fun unit lowk >^_^<

behaviorism

study of how behavior is learned without thought from the environment

associative learning

any learning process in which a new response becomes associated with a stimulus

Ivan Pavlov

performed studies on CLASSICAL conditioning, paired a bell with an unconditioned stimulus (food) for a dog

higher-order conditioning

a conditioned stimulus (previously neutral !!) becomes a stimulus used as a basis for learning about some new stimulus

extinction

when a conditioned response doesn’t follow a conditioned stimulus anymore

spontaneous recovery

reappearance of a weakened CR after pause; extinction suppresses CR rather than extinguishing it

generalization

use of a stimuli that is similar (not same) to elicit a similar conditioned response

ex: little albert

discrimination

ability to distinguish between the CS and similar stimuli

ex: Pavlov’s dog salivates to specific tones

Little Albert Experiment

John Watson and colleague (Raynor) conditioned a baby to associate white rats with a loud noise, thus making baby fear them

Operant conditioning

involves forming an association between a behavior and the consequences for that behavior (reward vs punishments)

Thorndike’s Law of Effect

behavior followed by favorable consequences becomes more likely

Skinner Experiments

operant conditioning chamber for studying animal behavior through reinforcement and punishment

shaping

reinforcers guide behavior toward closer approximations of desired goal

ex: rats get food from playing basketball, FOOD is REINFORCER

successive approximations

subject gets successively closer to the target one step at a time

positive reinforcement

one will do something to get something in return

ex: cheering reinforces behavior

positive punishment

ADDING something aversive after an undesired behavior is emitted to decrease future responses

ex: scolding, physical abuse

negative reinforcement

remove aversive stimulus through increasing a behavior

ex: wearing gloves to avoid getting cold

negative punishment

removing something favorable to decrease behavior

ex: removing yo phone to get you to stop

aversive stimulus

anything negative to which an organism wants to avoid

fixed ratio

finite amount of responses, receives reinforcement after a specified number of RESPONSES

ex: collect 100 coins

fixed interval

receives reinforcement after a certain amount of time has elapsed

ex: paycheck every 2 weeks

variable ratio

receives reinforcement after an UNPREDICTABLE NUMBER OF RESPONSES

ex: gambling slot machines

variable interval

unpredictable amount of time for reinforcement after a response

ex: waiting for someone to respond to your text message

Keller Breland

developed instinctive drift

Instinctive Drift

tendency of conditioned behavior to gradually grow more innate

ex: raccoons innately wash coins as if its food

Martin Seligman

developed learned helplessness

learned helplessness

feeling powerless to change a situation due to repeated exposure to uncontrollable events

Wolfgang Kohler

developed insight

insight

abrupt realization of a problem’s solution (AHA MOMENT)

John Garcia

developed taste aversion

Taste aversion

occurs when eating a substance being followed by illness, even at extended lengths of time

Edward Tolman

developed latent learning & cognitive maps

Latent learning

learning that becomes apparent only when there is an incentive to demonstrate it

cognitive maps

mental representation of the physical features in the environment

robert rescorla

developed contingency theory

contingency theory

a mental rep of the physical features in the environment

stimulus must provide the subject info about the likelihood that certain events will occur.

albert bandura

funny bobo doll dude who also developed observational learning and reciprocal determinism

observational learning

learning through watching others, retaining information, and replicating behaviors observed

ex: children manhandling bobo doll

reciprocal determinism

individual behavior influences and is influenced by both social world and personal characteristics

ex: listening to Drake just because everyone around you said he’s peak (his music is doodoo)