Key Concepts in Behavioral Psychology

Classical Conditioning

Learning through association between stimuli.

Acquisition

Initial stage of learning a new response.

UCS

Unconditioned Stimulus; naturally triggers a response.

UCR

Unconditioned Response; automatic reaction to UCS.

CS

Conditioned Stimulus; previously neutral, now triggers response.

CR

Conditioned Response; learned reaction to CS.

Extinction

Diminishing of a conditioned response over time.

Spontaneous Recovery

Reappearance of extinguished response after delay.

Stimulus Discrimination

Ability to differentiate between similar stimuli.

Stimulus Generalization

Responding similarly to similar stimuli.

Higher-Order Conditioning

Conditioning a second stimulus using a conditioned stimulus.

Counterconditioning

Changing the response to a stimulus by pairing it with a new stimulus.

Taste Aversion

Avoidance of a food after a negative experience.

One-Trial Learning

Learning that occurs after a single experience.

Biological Preparedness

Innate readiness to learn certain associations.

Habituation

Decreased response to repeated, benign stimuli.

Operant Conditioning

Learning through consequences of behavior.

Law of Effect

Responses followed by satisfaction are strengthened.

Positive Reinforcement

Adding a stimulus to increase a behavior.

Negative Reinforcement

Removing a stimulus to increase a behavior.

Positive Punishment

Adding a stimulus to decrease a behavior.

Negative Punishment

Removing a stimulus to decrease a behavior.

Primary Reinforcer

Innately satisfying stimulus, like food.

Secondary Reinforcer

Learned value, like money or praise.

Shaping

Gradually guiding behavior toward a desired goal.

Instinctive Drift

Tendency for learned behaviors to revert.

Superstitious Behavior

Behavior resulting from accidental reinforcement.

Learned Helplessness

Feeling of powerlessness from repeated failures.

Continuous Reinforcement

Reinforcing behavior every time it occurs.

Partial Reinforcement

Reinforcing behavior only sometimes.

Fixed-Ratio Schedule

Reinforcement after a set number of responses.

Variable-Ratio Schedule

Reinforcement after an unpredictable number of responses.

Fixed-Interval Schedule

Reinforcement after a fixed time period.

Variable-Interval Schedule

Reinforcement after varying time intervals.

Social Learning Theory

Learning through observation and imitation.

Vicarious Conditioning

Learning by observing others' experiences.

Modeling

Imitating behaviors observed in others.

Insight Learning

Sudden realization of a problem's solution.

Latent Learning

Learning that occurs without immediate reinforcement.

Cognitive Map

Mental representation of spatial information.