Conditioning and Learning

This set of flashcards covers essential concepts of conditioning and learning, including definitions, key figures, processes, and experiments.

What is learning?

A change in behavior resulting from experience.

What is behaviorism?

A psychological approach that emphasizes the study of observable behaviors.

Who are key figures associated with behaviorism?

Pavlov and Skinner.

Why is learning important for survival?

It allows the ability to adapt behaviors for a particular environment.

What is associative learning?

Learning that occurs when associations develop through conditioning.

What is classical conditioning?

Learning that two stimuli go together.

What did Pavlov observe about dogs?

Dogs began to salivate at the sight of food bowls.

What is an unconditioned stimulus (US)?

A stimulus that elicits a response without prior training.

What is an unconditioned response (UR)?

A response that occurs to a stimulus without prior training.

What is a conditioned stimulus (CS)?

A stimulus that initially does not elicit a response but does so after conditioning.

What is a conditioned response (CR)?

The response elicited by the conditioned stimulus after conditioning.

Describe Pavlov’s experiment with dogs.

Initially, a bell (CS) with no response, followed by meat (US) causing salivation (UR); after trials, the bell alone elicited salivation (CR).

What is acquisition in classical conditioning?

The gradual formation of an association between conditioned and unconditioned stimuli.

What is extinction in classical conditioning?

The weakening of the conditioned response when the CS is no longer paired with the US.

What is spontaneous recovery?

The return of a conditioned response after a period of absence following extinction.

What is stimulus generalization?

Learning that occurs when stimuli similar to the CS produce the CR.

What is stimulus discrimination?

Differentiating between two similar stimuli when only one is associated with the US.

What is operant conditioning?

A learning process where the consequences of an action determine the likelihood of it being repeated.

What is the Skinner Box?

A device used to study operant conditioning in animals, containing mechanisms for reinforcement.

What do reinforcers do?

Increase the likelihood of behavior.

What do punishers do?

Decrease the likelihood of behavior.

What is positive reinforcement?

The addition of a stimulus to increase the probability of a behavior being repeated.

What is negative reinforcement?

The removal of a stimulus to increase the probability of a behavior being repeated.

What is positive punishment?

The addition of a stimulus to decrease the probability of a behavior recurring.

What is negative punishment?

The removal of a stimulus to decrease the probability of a behavior recurring.

What are primary reinforcers?

Reinforcers necessary for survival, such as food or water.

What are secondary reinforcers?

Events or objects established as reinforcers through conditioning.

What is continuous reinforcement?

Reinforcing behavior each time it occurs.

What is partial reinforcement?

Behavior is occasionally reinforced.

What is a fixed schedule in reinforcement?

Reinforcement occurs on a predictable basis.

What is a variable schedule in reinforcement?

Reinforcement occurs on an unpredictable basis.

What is a fixed interval schedule?

Reinforcement after a predetermined amount of time.

What is a variable interval schedule?

Reinforcement after an unpredictable amount of time.

What is a fixed ratio schedule?

Reinforcement after a predetermined number of responses.

What is a variable ratio schedule?

Reinforcement after an unpredictable number of responses.

What is the partial-reinforcement extinction effect?

Behavior lasts longer under partial reinforcement than continuous reinforcement.

What are effective conditions for punishment?

It must be reasonable, unpleasant, applied immediately, and clearly connected to the behavior.

Why is positive punishment often ineffective?

It may be wrongly applied, lead to negative emotions, or fail to offset the reinforcing behavior.

What is observational learning?

Learning that occurs through observing others.

What are the four stages of observational learning?

Attention, retention, initiation, and motivation.

What was Bandura’s Bobo doll experiment?

An experiment showing that children who viewed aggression played aggressively.

What role do mirror neurons play in observational learning?

They fire both when performing an action and when observing someone else performing that action.

What is Hebbian learning?

Neurons that fire together develop strong synaptic connections.

What is long-term potentiation (LTP)?

The strengthening of synaptic connections over time, involved in learning and memory.