Psych 101 Ch 7

What is counterconditioning?

Behavioral therapy technique that replaces an undesired response to a stimulus with a more desirable response through associative learning. Ex: Pairing a cat cage with a treat so they have a positive association, rather than the cat hissing when they are in the cage.

What is flooding?

A therapy technique where individuals are directly exposed to their most intense fears in a controlled environment to ease anxiety. Ex: Locking a claustrophobic person in a closet for several hours.

What is systematic desensitization?

A behavioral exposure therapy technique that involves gradually exposing an individual to a feared object or stimulus in a controlled or relaxed environment. Ex: (Spider phobia) Begin with breathing exercises, look up a picture of a spider, and bring in a real-life spider.

What is acquisition? 

Phase in classical conditioning where a neutral stimulus starts triggering a response through repeated pairing with an unconditioned stimulus, marking the beginning of new learning. Ex: A rat reacting to the sound of a cat hissing with fear after conditioning and trials 

What is extinction?

The gradual weakening and eventual disappearance of a learned response. Ex: Not fearing bridges anymore after being in a car accident on a bridge and previously having anxiety while going over them. 

What is spontaneous recovery?

The reappearance of a conditioned response after a rest period or period of lessened response.

What is generalization?

A phenomenon where people have transferred what they have learned in one context to another situation. Ex: using skills learned when riding a bike to help learn how to drive a car. 

What is operant conditioning and who developed it?

Learning process developed by BF Skinner, where behaviors are influenced by consequences (reinforcements and punishments). 

What is a reinforcement?

Responses from the environment that increase the probability of a behavior being repeated. Can be positive or negative.

What is a punishment?

Responses from the environment that decrease the likelihood of a behavior being repeated. Weakens behavior.

What is positive reinforcement?

When a response or behavior is strengthened by rewards, leading to the repetition of the desired behavior. Ex: being given candy each time you complete your homework, making it more likely for this behavior to occur again in the future. 

What is negative reinforcement?

The termination of an unpleasant state following a response. Ex: Giving your teacher $5 if you don’t do your homework, thus making it more likely for you to do your homework. This strengthens the behavior of doing your homework. 

What is positive punishment?

Involves adding an aversive stimulus or something unpleasant immediately following a behavior to decrease the likelihood of that behavior happening in the future. Ex: A child being yelled at for hitting their sibling with the intention of the behavior not happening again. 

What is negative punishment?

Involves removing a desirable stimulus or something rewarding immediately after a behavior to decrease the likelihood of the behavior happening in the future. Ex: A teenager losing video game privileges because they did not do their chores.

What is differential reinforcement of incompatible (DRI)?

A behavior strategy that reinforces a behavior that cannot coincide with an undesired behavior, effectively reducing the latter. Ex: A teacher makes a child who runs around the classroom sit down. (Running and sitting cannot occur at the same time).