psych week 6

classical conditioning

also known as pavlovian conditioning. The procedure in which an initially neutral stimulus (the conditioned stimulus, or CS) is paired with an unconditioned stimulus (or US). The result is that the conditioned stimulus begins to elicit a conditioned response (CR). Classical conditioning is nowadays considered important as both a behavioral phenomenon and as a method to study simple associative learning

conditioned response

The response that is elicited by the conditioned stimulus after classical conditioning has taken place.

conditioned stimulus

An initially neutral stimulus (like a bell, light, or tone) that elicits a conditioned response after it has been associated with an unconditioned stimulus.

unconditioned stimulus

In classical conditioning, the stimulus that elicits the response before conditioning occurs.

unconditioned response

In classical conditioning, an innate response that is elicited by a stimulus before (or in the absence of) conditioning.

instrumental conditioning

also known as operant conditioning. learning by associating a behavior with its outcome. Behaviors followed by rewards are more likely to berepeated, while behaviors followed by punishment are less likely to occur.

operant

a behavior that acts on the environment and is influenced by its consequences, such as rewards or punishment. For example, studying hard to earn a good grade is operant behavior.

reinforcer

any consequence of a behavior that strengthens the behavior or increases the likelihood that it will be performed it again.

law of effect

developed by Edward Thorndike, states that behaviors followed by satisfying consequences are more likelyto be repeated, while behaviors followed by unpleasant consequences are less likely to be repeated

punishers

A stimulus that decreases the strength of an operant behavior when it is made a consequence of the behavior.

taste aversion conditioning

The phenomenon in which a taste is paired with sickness, and this causes the organism to reject—and dislike—that taste in the future

fear conditioning

s a type of classical conditioning in which a person or animal learns to fear something by associating it with a frightening or unpleasant experience. For example, a dog that gets bitten by another dog may become afraid of dogs in the future.

conditioned compensatory response

when the body learns to produce a reaction opposite to a drug’s effects after associating drug-related cues with taking the drug. For example, seeing the place where someone usually takes a drug may cause the body to prepare by producing an opposite reaction, which can contribute to drug tolerance.

blocking

a type of classical conditioning in which learning about a new stimulus is prevented because another stimulus already predicts the outcome. For example, if a dog already knows a bell predicts food, adding alight alongside the bell may not teach the dog that the light also predicts food.

prediction error

the difference between what someone expects to happen and what actually happens. For example, if a dog expects food after hearing a bell but receives no food, it experiences a prediction error that can affect future learning.

preparedness

the idea that humans and animals are biologically more likely to learn certain associations, especially those related to survival. For example, humans may more easily develop a fear of snakes than a fear of flowers because snakes could pose a threat

extinction

when a learned behavior or response decreases because the expected outcome no longer happens. In classical conditioning, this happens when a conditioned stimulus is repeatedly presented without the expected outcome; for example, a dog stops salivating to a bell when the bell is no longer followed by food.

spontaneous recovery

when an extinguished conditioned response suddenly returns after a period of time

renewal effect

when an extinguished response returns because the person or animal is placed back in the originalenvironment where the learning occurred.

stimulus control

a specific signal or situation influences when you do a behavior.

For example, imagine your phone makes a notification sound:

• You hear the sound → You check your phone.

• You don't hear the sound → You don't check your phone as often.

discriminative stimulus

a signal that indicates a behavior is likely to be reinforced in that situation. For example, a green traffic light signals that you can drive, while a red light signals that you should stop.

categorize

To sort or arrange different items into classes or categories.

quantitative law of effect

the likelihood of a behavior being repeated depends on how satisfying or rewarding its consequences are.The more valuable the reward, the more likely the behavior is to happen again. For example, a student maystudy harder if they receive a high grade they really wanted.

reinforcer devaluation effect

when a behavior decreases because its reward becomes less desirable. For example, a rat stops pressing alever for food after it becomes full.

goal directed

behavior performed because you want a specific outcome. For example, studying hard to get a good gradeis goal-directed behavior.

habit

a behavior that becomes automatic through repetition, often without thinking about the outcome. Forexample, automatically brushing your teeth every morning.

observational learning

learning by watching and imitating other people's behavior. For example, a child learns to say “please” bywatching their parents.

social learning theory

Albert Bandura’s theory that people learn behaviors by observing others and the consequences of their actions. For example, a child learns to share by watching other children.

social models

people whose behaviors we observe and may imitate, such as parents, teachers, friends, or celebrities.

vicarious reinforcement

when you are more likely to copy a behavior after seeing someone else get rewarded for it. For example, astudent sees another student praised for answering a question, so they become more likely to participate inclass.

bobo doll experiment

showed that children learn behaviors by observing and imitating others, known as observational learning.Children who watched adults act aggressively toward a Bobo doll were more likely to imitate that aggressivebehavior. The experiment demonstrated that people can learn new behaviors by watching others, evenwithout being directly rewarded or punished.

overt behavior

a behavior that can be directly observed by other people. For example, running, talking, laughing, or raisingyour hand in class are overt behaviors.

critical trial

The key moment in conditioning when an important association is learned or tested

acquisition

The process of learning a new association between stimuli or between a behavior and its consequence.

generalization

When a learned response occurs to stimuli similar to the original stimulus

John Watson little Albert

John B. Watson and Rosalie Rayner conditioned a baby named Albert to fear a whiterat by pairing it with a loud, frightening noise. Albert later showed fear toward similarfurry objects, demonstrating conditioned fear and stimulus generalization.