Educational Psychology and Learning Theories Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering core concepts of learning theories, memory stages, conditioning, and cognitive psychology based on the lecture notes.

Neutral stimulus

A stimulus that elicits no initial response, such as the ringing of the bell for the dog in Pavlov's classical conditioning before conditioning occurs.

Learning (Behaviorist definition)

Changes in observable behavior.

Negative punishment

An operant conditioning consequence illustrated by sending a child to timeout or taking away a son's phone when he talks back.

Constructivist theory

A theory based on the idea that students construct their own knowledge.

Long-term memory

The stage of memory that appears to be unlimited in capacity and infinite in duration.

Extrinsic motivation

A type of motivation that drives reinforcement and is not part of the activity or behavior itself.

Antecedent, behavior, consequence

The correct sequential order of terms in behavioral learning analysis.

Fixed-ratio reinforcement

A reinforcement schedule where reinforcement is provided after a set number of behaviors, such as giving students verbal praise every 4th time they raise their hand.

Cognitive view of learning

A general approach that views learning as active mental processes of remembering, acquiring, and using knowledge.

Premack Principle

The principle stating that a preferred activity can serve as reinforcement for a less preferred activity.

Stages of memory

The correct order of the main stages of memory: sensory, working, and long-term.

Triarchic Reciprocal Causality

A concept that is not part of behaviorist theory.

Elaborative rehearsal

The process of keeping information in your working memory by associating it with something you already know.

Inquiry learning

An approach where students solve problems they find intriguing by gathering information and testing their conclusions.

Functional fixedness

The inability to use objects or tools in a new way during problem-solving.

Heuristic

A mechanism used to solve problems that functions as a mental shortcut.

Divergent thinking

Thinking that consists of ideas that are open-ended and lead in many directions.

Self-efficacy

The belief that you are capable of carrying out a specific task or reaching a specific goal in the future.

Negative reinforcement

An operant conditioning process demonstrated when Riley does the dishes to stop her mother's nagging.

Bandura's Bobo doll experiment

An experiment that serves as an example of social learning theory.

Conditioned response

In Pavlov's classical conditioning experiment, the dog salivating when hearing the bell only, with no food present.

Episodic buffer

A component in short-term memory whose job is to serve as a link between long-term memory and the central executive.

Skinner's operant conditioning

A theory stating that organisms eventually learn to respond in a certain way to elicit a reward or avoid punishment.

Variable-ratio schedule of reinforcement

A schedule of reinforcement exemplified by a slot machine.

Cognitive constructivism

A perspective stating that individuals make sense of the world based on individual knowledge, beliefs, and self-concept.

Cognitive task attention limit

The principle that a person can only pay attention to one cognitively demanding task at a time.

Concept map

A graphic depiction of relationships among a set of concepts.