Chapter 5 Learning - Vocabulary Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms from Chapter 5: Learning, Classical Conditioning, Operant Conditioning, and related concepts.

Learning

brain changes to record what has been learned.

Unconditioned stimulus (UCS)

A naturally occurring stimulus that elicits an involuntary response without prior learning.

Unconditioned response (UCR)

An involuntary response to an unconditioned stimulus.

Neutral stimulus (NS)

A stimulus that does not initially elicit the reflex.

Conditioned stimulus (CS)

A previously neutral stimulus that, after being paired with a UCS, elicits a learned response.

Conditioned response (CR)

The learned response to the conditioned stimulus.

Acquisition

The process of learning the CS–UCS association; the NS becomes a CS.

Extinction

Disappearance or weakening of a conditioned response when the CS is no longer paired with the UCS (or when reinforcement stops in operant conditioning).

Spontaneous recovery

Reappearance of a previously extinct conditioned response after a rest period and CS presentation.

Stimulus generalization

Tendency to respond to stimuli similar to the CS.

Stimulus discrimination

Learning to respond only to the specific CS and not to similar stimuli.

Reinforcer

Any event that increases the likelihood of a response being repeated.

Primary reinforcer

A reinforcer that naturally satisfies a biological need (food, water, touch).

Secondary reinforcer

A reinforcer that becomes reinforcing after pairing with a primary reinforcer (praise, tokens, money).

Positive reinforcement

Adding a pleasurable stimulus to increase a response.

Negative reinforcement

Removing or avoiding an unpleasant stimulus to increase a response.

Punishment by application

Adding an unpleasant stimulus after a response to reduce its likelihood.

Punishment by removal

Taking away a desirable stimulus after a response to reduce its likelihood.

Shaping

Reinforcing successive steps toward a desired complex behavior.

Successive approximations

Small steps in behavior that lead toward a goal behavior.

Partial reinforcement

Reinforcement after some correct responses, making extinction slower.

Continuous reinforcement

Reinforcement after every correct response.

Fixed ratio

Reinforcement after a set number of responses.

Variable ratio

Reinforcement after an unpredictable number of responses.

Fixed interval

Reinforcement after a fixed amount of time.

Variable interval

Reinforcement after varying time intervals.

Discriminative stimulus

A cue that signals that a response will be reinforced.

Instinctive drift

Tendency for an animal to revert to instinctual patterns that are hard to suppress.

Behavior modification

Use of operant conditioning techniques to bring about desired behavior changes.

Token economy

A behavior modification system using tokens exchanged for rewards.

Time-out

Removal of attention or access to reinforcement to decrease misbehavior.

Applied behavior analysis (ABA)

Modern form of behavior modification using shaping and reinforcement.

Biofeedback

Using feedback about biological processes to gain voluntary control over involuntary responses.

Neurofeedback

Brain activity feedback to modify behavior.

Cognitive learning theory

Theory emphasizing mental processes in learning (e.g., Tolman).

Latent learning

Learning that is not immediately expressed but shown when needed.

Insight

Sudden understanding of relationships leading to a solution; the 'Aha' moment.

Learned helplessness

Tendency to fail to act to escape a situation due to history of repeated failures.

Observational learning

Learning by watching a model perform a behavior.

Bandura

Pioneer of observational learning; studied imitation and the Bobo doll study.

Bobo doll study

Bandura’s experiment showing children imitate aggression after observing an adult model.

Attention

Must attend to the model to learn via observation.

Memory

Ability to retain observed information for later use.

Imitation

Reproducing the observed behavior.

Motivation

Desire to perform the observed behavior.

AMIM

Mnemonic for Attention, Memory, Imitation, Motivation.

Taste aversion

Nausea or aversive reaction to a taste after one association, often with biological preparedness.

Biological preparedness

Tendency to learn certain associations more easily due to survival value.

Reacquisition

Relearning a conditioned response after extinction.

Pavlov

Russian physiologist who discovered classical conditioning in dogs.