Operant Conditioning

A collection of vocabulary flashcards based on concepts from the lecture on Operant Conditioning.

Positive Reinforcement

Presentation of a pleasant stimulus after a behavior that increases the probability of that behavior.

Negative Reinforcement

Removal of an unpleasant stimulus after a behavior that increases the probability of that behavior.

Positive Punishment

Unpleasant stimulus that follows a behavior, decreasing the probability of that behavior.

Negative Punishment

Removal of a pleasant stimulus after a behavior that decreases the probability of that behavior.

Unconditioned Stimulus (US)

Stimulus that automatically elicits a response without prior conditioning.

Unconditional Response (UR)

Innate (natural) response to an unconditioned stimulus.

Conditioned Stimulus (CS)

Previously neutral stimulus that now elicits a conditioned response due to its association with an unconditioned stimulus.

Conditioned Response (CR)

Learned response to a stimulus that did not originally elicit that response.

Generalization

After a behavior is reinforced in one situation, it is performed in different situations involving stimuli that are similar to the conditioned stimulus.

Discrimination

A behavior that is reinforced in one situation is not performed in a different situation; the conditioned response occurs only to a specific stimulus.

Extinction

After the reinforcer is withdrawn, the behavior decreases; this occurs when the conditioned stimulus no longer predicts the unconditioned stimulus.

Spontaneous Recovery

After extinction, the reappearance of the conditioned response to the original conditioned stimulus, typically short-lived.

Continuous Reinforcement

Reinforcement given after every desired behavior, reinforcing learning rapidly.

Intermittent (Partial) Reinforcement

Reinforcement given after some instances of desired behavior, which is better for maintaining behavior over time.