AP Psych Unit 3 Vocab 1-48 Pt 1

Behavioral perspective

An approach to the study of psychology that focuses on the role of learning in explaining observable behavior.

Classical Conditioning

learning in which a neutral stimulus comes to bring about a response after it is paired with a stimulus that naturally brings about a response

Association

a bond or connection between two images, thoughts, ideas, or other psychological phenomena, whereby the occurrence of one tends to bring to mind the other.

Acquisition

refers to the initial stage of the learning or conditioning process. In this stage, some response is being associated with some stimulus to the point where we can say the organism (person, animal, etc.) has "acquired" the response.

Associative learning

learning that certain events occur together. The events may be two stimuli (as in classical conditioning) or a response and its consequences (as in operant conditioning).

Unconditioned stimulus (UCS)

in classical conditioning, a stimulus that unconditionally—naturally and automatically—triggers a response.

Unconditioned Response (UR)

In classical conditioning, the unlearned, naturally occurring response to the unconditioned stimulus (US), such as salivation when food is in the mouth.

Conditioned response (CR)

in classical conditioning, an originally irrelevant stimulus that, after association with an unconditioned stimulus, comes to trigger a conditioned response

conditioned stimulus (CS)

in classical conditioning, the learned response to a previously neutral (but now conditioned) stimulus (CS)

Extinction

the diminishing of a conditioned response; occurs in classical conditioning when an unconditioned stimulus (US) does not follow a conditioned stimulus (CS); occurs in operant conditioning when a response is no longer reinforced.

spontaneous recovery

the reappearance, after a pause, of an extinguished conditioned response

stimulus discrimination

a differentiation between two similar stimuli when only one of them is consistently associated with the unconditioned stimulus

stimulus generalization

learning that occurs when stimuli that are similar but not identical to the conditioned stimulus produce the conditioned response

higher-order-conditioning

a procedure in which the conditioned stimulus in one conditioning experience is paired with a new neutral stimulus, creating a second (often weaker) conditioned stimulus.

counterconditioning

a behavior therapy procedure that uses classical conditioning to evoke new responses to stimuli that are triggering unwanted behaviors; includes exposure therapies and aversive conditioning.

taste aversion

A classically conditioned dislike for and avoidance of a particular food that develops when an organism becomes ill after eating the food.

one-trial conditioning

when one pairing of CS and a US produces considerable learning.

biological preparedness

In learning theory, the idea that an organism is innately predisposed to form associations between certain stimuli and responses.

one trial learning

when conditioning occurs after a single experience involving relatively intense fear, pain, or sickness.

habituation

decreasing responsiveness with repeated stimulation. As infants gain familiarity with repeated exposure to a visual stimulus, their interest wanes and they look away sooner.

operant learning

a type of learning in which behavior is strengthened if followed by a reinforcer or diminished if followed by a punisher. That behavior is influenced by the consequences that follow. When you are reinforced for doing something, you're more likely to do it again. When you are punished for doing something, you are less likely to do it again.

reinforcement

in operant conditioning, any event that strengthens the behavior it follows. Operant Conditioning term that refers to a process by which the likelihood of a behavior occurring is increased either by giving a pleasant stimulus (positive reinforcement) or removing an unpleasant stimulus (negative reinforcement).

punishment

an event that tends to decrease the behavior that it follows.Is any stimulus that represses a behavior..

law of effect

The principle that behaviors are selected by their consequences Deals with what is called "stimulus-response" reaction that is exhibited by living creatures.

positive reinforcement

increasing behaviors by presenting positive reinforcers. A positive reinforcer is any stimulus that, when presented after a response, strengthens the response.A stimulus which increases the frequency of a particular behavior using pleasant rewards.

negative reinforcement

Increasing behaviors by stopping or reducing negative stimuli, such as shock. is any stimulus that, when removed after a response, strengthens the response.

primary reinforcers

an innately reinforcing stimulus, such as one that satisfies a biological need. They are naturally reinforcing, i.e. there is no learning necessary for them to be reinforcing.

secondary reinforcers

learned reinforcers, such as money, that develop their reinforcing properties because of their association with primary reinforcers

reinforcement discrimination

The ability to distinguish between different stimuli and respond appropriately based on the presence or absence of reinforcement.

reinforcement generalization

in operant conditioning, the appearance of a reinforced behavior in a new context, because of previous reinforcement in a similar context. For example, a child reinforced for using their manners at the dinner table at home may exhibit this behavior at the lunch table at school, even though the behavior was never reinforced there (fix this)

shaping

an operant conditioning procedure in which reinforcers guide behavior toward closer and closer approximations of the desired behavior

instinctive drift

the tendency of learned behavior to gradually revert to biologically predisposed patterns humans, animals, etc., can learn to perform different behaviors, there are times when they stop performing those behaviors in the way they learned and start reverting back to their more instinctual behaviors.

superstitious behavior

in Skinner's view, behavior acquired through coincidental association of a response and a reinforcement

learned helplessness

the hopelessness and passive resignation an animal or human learns when unable to avoid repeated aversive events

reinforcement schedules

a pattern that defines how often a desired response will be reinforced

continuous reinforcement

reinforcing the desired response every time it occurs

partial reinforcement

reinforcing a response only part of the time; results in slower acquisition of a response but much greater resistance to extinction than does continuous reinforcement

fixed interval

in operant conditioning, a reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response only after a specified time has elapsed an organism must wait (either not make the operant response, whatever it is in that experiment; or it can make the response but the response produces nothing) for a specific amount of time and then make the operant response in order to receive reinforcement

variable interval

in operant conditioning, a reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response at unpredictable time intervals

fixed ratio

in operant conditioning, a reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response only after a specified number of responses.

variable ratio

in operant conditioning, a reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response after an unpredictable number of responses

scalloped graph

A type of graph showing the pattern of responses over time in a fixed interval reinforcement schedule, characterized by a gradual increase in response rate just before reinforcement.

social learning theory

the theory that we learn social behavior by observing and imitating and by being rewarded or punished.

vicarious conditioning

classical conditioning of an involuntary response or emotion by watching the reaction of another person. Occurs when a subject is exposed to someone else's fears or reactions and then internalizes those feelings, actions and reactions for themselves.

modeling

the process of observing and imitating a specific behavior

insight learning

The process of learning how to solve a problem or do something new by applying what is already known

latent learning

learning that occurs but is not apparent until there is an incentive to demonstrate it, but you don't really see it (it's not exhibited) until there is some reinforcement or incentive to demonstrate it.

cognitive maps

a mental representation of the layout of one's environment