Study Guide: Chapter 5 - The Behavioral Perspective

Classical Conditioning

Learning to associate two stimuli to produce a reflex response.

Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS)

Naturally causes a response, such as food.

Unconditioned Response (UCR)

Natural reaction to an unconditioned stimulus, such as salivation.

Conditioned Stimulus (CS)

Originally neutral stimulus that now triggers a response, like a metronome.

Conditioned Response (CR)

Learned reflex to a conditioned stimulus, such as salivating at the sound of a metronome.

Acquisition

The process of repeatedly pairing a neutral stimulus with an unconditioned stimulus until the neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus.

Extinction

The process through which a learned response decreases or disappears.

Spontaneous Recovery

The reappearance of a learned response after a period of not presenting the conditioned stimulus.

Stimulus Generalization

Responding to stimuli that are similar to the conditioned stimulus.

Discrimination

Learning to distinguish between different stimuli.

Conditioned Emotional Response (CER)

Emotional responses formed via conditioning, such as phobias.

Vicarious Conditioning

Learning by observing others’ reactions.

Law of Effect

The principle stating that behaviors followed by pleasant outcomes are repeated, while those followed by unpleasant outcomes are not.

Positive Reinforcement

Adding a pleasant stimulus to increase behavior, such as giving a reward.

Negative Reinforcement

Removing an unpleasant stimulus to increase behavior, such as taking aspirin for a headache.

Positive Punishment

Adding something unpleasant to decrease behavior, like assigning extra chores.

Negative Punishment

Taking away something pleasant to decrease behavior, such as removing phone privileges.

Discriminative Stimulus

A cue that signals when behavior will be reinforced.

Shaping

Reinforcing small steps to achieve a complex behavior.

Instinctive Drift

The tendency of animals to revert to instinctual behaviors.

Behavior Modification

Using reinforcement techniques to change behavior.

Tolman’s Latent Learning

Learning occurs but is not immediately demonstrated until it is needed.

Köhler’s Insight Learning

A sudden realization of a solution, often referred to as an 'Aha!' moment.

Seligman’s Learned Helplessness

A condition resulting from repeated failures leading to a state of inaction.

Key Elements of Observational Learning (AMID)

Attention, Memory, Imitation, and Desire are essential for learning by watching others.