ap pysch learning

Learning

process by which humans and animals acquire behavior patterns; experience or practice results in a relatively permanent change in behavior or potential behavior; more broad than studying

Classical Conditioning

expanded by John Watson and Rosalie Rayner; Learning where a response, normally elicited by one stimulus, is taught to respond to another, normally, neutral stimulus; AKA Pavlovian; pairing an involuntary response

Unconditioned Stimulus

US or UCS; a stimulus that causes an organism to respond in a natural manner; in Pavlov's experiment, the meat powder

Conditioned Stimulus

CS; ordinarily a neutral stimulus paired with a unconditioned stimulus to achieve a desired result and eventually produces the desired response in an organism when presented alone; in Pavlov's experiment, the bell

Unconditioned Response

UR or UCR; a natural response that occurs when the UCS occurs, like salivating in Pavlov's experiment

Conditioned Response

CR; a response (after conditioning) that occurs after the CS; in Pavlov's experiment, salivation

Extinction

a decrease in the frequency of a conditioned response because of a failure to continue pairing the US and CS (in classical conditioning) or withholding of reinforcement (operant conditioning)

Spontaneous Recovery

the reappearance of an extinguished response after the passage of time, without further training

Generalization

the transfer of behavior (learned response) from one stimulus to another stimulus that is similar in nature; in Little Albert's case, Little Albert was afraid of not only white, furry rats but any white and furry objects.

Discrimination

Learning to respond to only one stimulus and to inhibit the response to all other stimuli; when Little Albert was able discern between a white rat and a white rabbit

Operant Conditioning

expanded by BF Skinner; learning based on rewards or punishment; not automatic reflexes, conditioning in which an operant response is brought under stimulus control by virtue of presenting reinforcement contingent upon the occurrence of the operant response

Shaping

reinforcing successive approximations to desired behavior; example: Skinner box, tiger jumping through a hoop; teaching dog to pee outside, teach a penguin to do a figure 8, driving, etc

Law Of Effect

Thorndike; used in an experiment with cats and a puzzle box; principle of reinforcement; behavior consistently rewarded will be 'stamped in' as learned behavior, and behavior that brings about discomfort will be 'stamped out'; satisfying effect (reinforcement) is likely to be performed again, whereas behavior that brings about negative effect (punishment) is likely to be suppressed

Negative Reinforcement

the removal of an unpleasant stimulus that increases the likelihood that behavior will continue; is more effective in learning than punishment

Positive Reinforcement

a reward; any event whose presence increase the likelihood that behavior will continue

Primary Reinforcer

reinforcer such as water, food, or sex

Secondary Reinforcer/ Conditioned Reinforcer

reinforcer whose value allows an individual to acquire other reinforcers like food and water; examples: money, credit cards

Punishment

any event whose presence decreases the likelihood that behavior will occur

Latent Learning

pioneered by Edward Chace Tolman; learning that is not immediate in behavior; knowledge that is used when needed, like riding a bike or using a cognitive map

Cognitive Map

example of a cognitive learning; mental image of a spatial environment that is used to problem solve when stimulated

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).

Behaviorism

an approach to psychology that emphasizes observable measurable behavior

Acquisition

an ability that has been acquired by training

Respondant Behavior

behavior that occurs as an automatic response to some stimulus

Operant Behavior

behavior that operates on the environment, producing consequences

Operant Chamber

a chamber also known as a Skinner box, containing a bar or key that an animal can manipulate to obtain a food or water reinforcer, with attached devices to record the animal's rate of bar pressing or key pecking. Used in operant conditioning research.

Reinforcer

(psychology) a stimulus that strengthens or weakens the behavior that produced it

Continuous Reinforcement

reinforcing the desired response every time it occurs

Partial/ Intermittent 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- Ratio Schedule

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

Variable- Ratio Schedule

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

Intrinsic Motivation

a desire to perform a behavior for its own sake

Extrinsic Motivation

a desire to perform a behavior due to promised rewards or threats of punishment

Observational Learning

learning by observing others

Modeling

the act of representing something (usually on a smaller scale)

Mirror Neurons

frontal lobe neurons that fire when performing certain actions or when observing another doing so

Prosocial Behavior

positive, constructive, helpful behavior. The opposite of antisocial behavior