Unit 3 Exam

Ch.7 and 8 about learning, Memory, and Intelligence

Unconditioned Stimulus (US)

A stimulus that already elicits a certain response without additional learning. 

Unconditioned Response (UR)

A response elicited by an unconditioned stimulus.

Conditioned Stimulus (CS)

An initially neutral stimulus that comes to elicit a conditioned response after being associated with an unconditioned stimulus.

Conditioned Response (CR)

A response that is elicited by a conditioned stimulus; it occurs after the conditioned stimulus is associated with an unconditioned stimulus.

Extinction

The gradual weakening and eventual disappearance of a conditioned response when the conditioned stimulus is presented without the unconditioned stimulus.

Spontaneous recovery

The re-emergence of a previously extinguished conditioned response after a rest period

Higher order conditioning

A learning process in which a previously neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus by being paired with an already conditioned stimulus, leading to a conditioned response.

Neutral Stimulus

A stimulus that does not initially evoke a response until it is paired with an unconditioned stimulus, becoming a conditioned stimulus through learning.

Stimulus generalization

After condition the tendency to respond to a stimulus that resembles one involved in the original condition.

Stimulus discrimination

The ability to differentiate between similar stimuli and respond only to the specific conditioned stimulus, while ignoring others.

Five-year-old Catarina is watching a storm from her window. A huge bolt of lightning is followed by a tremendous thunderclap, and Catarina jumps at the noise. In the language of classical conditioning, the sound of thunder is the __________.

unconditioned stimulus

Five-year-old Catarina is watching a storm from her window. A huge bolt of lightning is followed by a tremendous thunderclap, and Catarina jumps at the noise. This happens several more times. There is a brief lull and then another lightning bolt. Catarina jumps in response to the lightning bolt. In classical-conditioning terms, Catarina's reaction is the __________.

conditioned response

Five-year-old Catarina is watching a storm from her window. A huge bolt of lightning is followed by a tremendous thunderclap, and Catarina jumps at the noise. This happens several more times. There is a brief lull and then another lightning bolt. Catarina jumps in response to the bolt. In classical-conditioning terms, the sight of the lightning bolt is the __________.

conditioned stimulus

When a previously learned response reappears even after it was thought to have been extinguished, classical-conditioning theorists say that __________ has occurred.

spontaneous recovery

Why should a neutral stimulus precede an unconditioned stimulus in order for classical conditioning to be successful?

The neutral stimulus signals that the unconditioned stimulus is coming; eventually the neutral stimulus becomes the conditioned stimulus.

Counterconditiong

is a behavior therapy technique that involves replacing an undesired response to a stimulus with a desired response by associating the stimulus with positive outcomes.

Garcia effect

is a phenomenon where an organism learns to associate illness with food after just one experience, demonstrating that certain associations are easier to learn than others.

Little Amanda is afraid of the bath, so her father puts just a little water in the tub and gives Amanda a lollipop to suck on while she is being washed. Soon Amanda loses her fear of the bath. What classical-conditioning technique has her father used?

Counterconditioning

Edgar wants his toddler son Miguel to eat healthy foods and avoid junk food. Each time they are driving in the car and they pass a fast-food restaurant, Edgar screams at the top of his lungs in a short burst of terrible noise, startling Miguel and making him cry. Not surprisingly, Miguel grows up with an aversion to junk food. What is the conditioned stimulus in this example?

the fast-food restaurant

Chemotherapy often produces nausea and vomiting for cancer patients undergoing that treatment. Over time, patients associate the administration room, the sight of white uniforms, and the style of the waiting room chairs with that unpleasant experience. Just showing up for treatment and experiencing all those sensations can lead to the onset of nausea. In this example, the unconditioned stimulus is __________.

the chemicals used in chemotherapy

Learning

is a relatively permanent change in behavior due to experience.

Acquisition

is the initial stage of learning where a response is established and gradually strengthened through conditioning.

Conditioned taste aversion

is a learned response to avoid a specific taste after it has been associated with illness or nausea.

Operant Conditioning

the process by which a response becomes more or less likely to occur depending on its consequences.

Reinforcement

The process by which a response is strengthened or made more likely by a stimulus or event that follows it.

Punishment

the process by which a response is weakened or made less likely by a stimulus or event that follows it.

Primary reinforcers

A stimulus that is inherently reinforcing typically satisfying a physiological need.

-Food, water, light stroking of the skin, and comfortable air temp.

Primary Punishers

A stimulus that is inherently punishing (pain, extreme heat/cold).

Secondary Reinforcers

A stimulus that has acquired reinforcing properties through association with other reinforcers.

-Money, praise, applause, good grades, and gold star.

Secondary punishers

A stimulus that has Acquired punishing properties through association with other punishers.

-Criticism, demerits, scolding, fines, and bad grades

Positive reinforcement

A pleasant consequence makes a response more likely

Negative reinforcement

A process in which a behavior is strengthened by the removal of an aversive stimulus, making the behavior more likely to occur.

Positive punishment

adding a stimulus to decrease the likelihood of a response

Negative punishment

Removing a stimulus to decrease the likelihood of a response.

reinforcement, whether positi​ve or negative,_____ ​the likelihood of a response,

increases

punishment, whether positi​ve or negative, _____ it the likelihood of a response.

decreases