George Behaviorism Psych Test

Behaviorism

views cognitive approach as “unscientific” and studies the measurable behaviors of organisms

Classical conditioning

UNCONSCIOUS involuntary learning to associate two stimuli and anticipate events

Operant conditioning

CONSCIOUS voluntary learning to associate good or bad consequences with a behavior. Behavior is either strengthened by a reinforcer or diminished by a punisher.

Ivan Pavlov

Conducted the “Pavlov’s dogs” experiment by where he classically conditioned dogs to salivate at the sound of a bell.

Unconditioned Stimulus

Stimulus that originally causes a response. The relationship between US and UR should be normal.

• Ex. Loud noise and fear

Neutral Stimulus

Stimulus that naturally doesn’t cause a response, but if paired with an US enough times, it causes the same response on it’s own. It then becomes the CS

Conditioned Stimulus

A once neutral stimulus that had become associated with the US and elicits a conditioned response. It is the stimulus that, after repeated pairing with an unconditioned stimulus, triggers a conditioned response on its own.

Unconditioned response

The natural reaction to an unconditioned stimulus that occurs without any prior learning or conditioning. It will become the conditioned response.

Conditioned response

The learned reaction to a conditioned stimulus that occurs after the stimulus has been paired with an unconditioned stimulus. The CR is the same as the UR but is caused by the conditioned stimulus. Relationship with CS should be abnormal.

Moment of aquisition

When the 2 stimuli (US and NS) are associated

Higher order conditioning

When a conditioned stimulus is associated with another NS, creating a second CS for the same response/behavior.

• The second CS is usually weaker

BF Skinner

Operant conditioning. Created the “Skinners box” (or operant conditioning chamber) which was where he placed a rat with a lever that triggered food releasing to see if the rat could learn to associate pressing the lever with getting the reward of food.

John B. Watson

Thought that psychology should be focused on observable behavior. He conducted the “Little Albert” experiment, where he classically conditioned a baby to fear a rat that he had previously found amusing.

• Viewed as father of psychology

• Said that environment determines a persons characteristics

Alfred Bandura

Looked at observational learning. Conducted the bobo doll experiment where adults modeled hitting a doll, and kids were more likely to show aggressive behaviors after watching the adults hit it.

Generalization

When a response has been conditioned for a stimulus and the person starts giving the same response to similar stimuli.

Extinction

When the conditioned response goes away after a while where the US and the CS have not been paired together.

Spontaneous recovery

When an extinguished CR reappears after a pause in time.

Discrimination

The learned ability to tell the difference between a CS and stimuli that are similar but don’t trigger the response.

Biological predisposition

Organisms are predisposed to develop certain associations that will help them survive and adapt. Natural selection allowed animals to be conditioned.

• Ex. it is easier for a bird to learn to peck ground for food than to flap it’s wings because they already associate their beaks with food, but not their wings with food.

Associative learning

learning that two things/stimuli can occur together

Learning

relatively permanent change in an organisms behavior due to experience

Respondent behavior

Behavior that is an automatic response to some stimulus

Operant behavior

Behavior that produces consequences

Law of effect

First created by Thorndike, then elaborated on by BF Skinner. Said that behaviors followed by good consequences become more frequent behaviors.

Operant chamber

Skinners box. A chamber that can be used to research an organisms behavior. Simple one has a button an organism can learn to press.

Shaping

the operant process where a behavior is reinforced closer and closer to the desired behavior

Reinforcer

Any event that strengthens the behavior it follows

Primary reinforcer

An innately reinforcing stimulus

• Food, water

Conditioned reinforcer

Reinforcer that gains its reinforcing power from associations with primary reinforcer.

Continuous reinforcement

Reinforcing the desired response every time it occurs

Positive reinforcement

When stimulus is added to increase the behavior

Negative reinforcement

When stimulus is removed to increase behavior

Partial reinforcement

reinforcing a behavior only some of the time. It has a slower shaping of the response but is more resistant to extinction.

Fixed ratio schedule

A schedule for reinforcing/punishing that only happens after a certain number of responses.

Variable ratio schedule

A schedule for reinforcing/punishing that happens after an unpredictable number of responses.

Fixed interval schedule

A schedule for reinforcing/punishing that only happens after a certain amount of time.

Variable interval schedule

A schedule for reinforcing/punishing that happens after an unpredictable amount of time.

Punishment

Any event that decreases the behavior/response it follows

Positive punishment

Punishment that adds a stimulus

Negative punishment

Punishment that removes a stimulus

Cognitive map

Mental representation of ones environment

• Ex. Rats use a mental map when running through a maze

Latent learning

learning that occurs but is not apparent until there is an incentive to demonstrate it.

Observational learning

Learning by observing others. This is cognitive behaviorism because it involves thoughts and emotions.

Modeling

The process of observing and imitating a specific behavior

• Parents are powerful models in their children’s lives because they attain most of their knowledge about the real world from parents and their actions/reactions.

Mirror neurons

Frontal lobe neurons that fire when performing certain actions or when observing another doing that same action.

• These neurons enable empathy because when humans see someone doing something hard or sad, they think of it as themselves doing that thing.

Prosocial behavior

Positive, constructive, helpful behavior intended to benefit another person or group. The opposite of antisocial behavior.

How to decide if reinforcement/punishment is positive or negative

Ask “What happens to stimulus as a result of the behavior?”

• If added, its positive

• If removed, its negative

How to decide if a schedule is ratio or interval

“Does it matter how many times you do it (think 1000tries/second), or when you do it?”

Desensitization

Process where repeated exposure to a stimulus reduces the emotional or physiological response to it

Antisocial behavior

Actions that harm, disregard, or violate the rights, well-being, or safety of others, rather than helping or benefiting them.

Insight learning

Type of cognitive learning where a solution to a problem is realized through a sudden understanding or an “Aha” moment