PSYCH Fifth Canadian Edition - Chapter 5: Learning

Vocabulary-style flashcards covering key concepts, principles, and diagrams of Classical Conditioning, Operant Conditioning, and Cognitive Factors in Learning from Chapter 5.

Learning

A relatively permanent change in behaviour, capabilities, or knowledge that results from practice or experience.

Classical Conditioning

A basic form of learning in which a neutral stimulus comes to evoke the response usually evoked by another stimulus by being paired repeatedly with that other stimulus; also known as respondent conditioning.

Stimulus

An environmental condition that elicits a response.

Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS)

A stimulus that elicits a response from an organism before conditioning, such as meat powder presented to a dog.

Unconditioned Response (UCR)

An unlearned response to an unconditioned stimulus, such as salivation in response to meat powder.

Orienting Reflex

An unlearned response in which an organism attends to a stimulus, such as a dog looking in the direction of a bell or light.

Conditioned Stimulus (CS)

A previously neutral stimulus that elicits a conditioned response because it has been paired repeatedly with the stimulus that already elicited that response.

Conditioned Response (CR)

A learned response to a conditioned stimulus, such as salivation in response to the sound of a bell.

Classical Conditioning Process

A three-phase process consisting of a preconditioning phase (neutral stimulus leads to no response or orienting reflex), conditioning phase (neutral stimulus paired with UCS), and postconditioning phase (CS elicits CR).

Counterconditioning

A fear-reduction technique in which pleasant stimuli are associated with fear-evoking stimuli so that the fear-evoking stimuli lose their aversive qualities.

Systematic Desensitization

A behavioural fear-reduction technique used in therapy where a hierarchy of fear-evoking stimuli is presented while the person remains relaxed.

Extinction (Classical Conditioning)

The process that occurs when stimuli lose their ability to evoke learned responses because the events that had followed the stimuli no longer occur.

Spontaneous Recovery

The recurrence of an extinguished response as a function of the passage of time.

Learning and Extinction Curves

Graphic curves illustrating response counts during acquisition (CS-US pairings), extinction (CS alone), and spontaneous recovery following a time interval.

Generalization

The tendency for the conditioned response to be evoked by stimuli that are similar to the stimulus to which the response was conditioned.

Discrimination (Classical Conditioning)

The tendency for the conditioned response to be evoked by only the conditioned stimulus and not by similar stimuli.

Higher-Order Conditioning

A classical conditioning procedure in which a previously neutral stimulus comes to elicit the response brought forth by a conditioned stimulus by being paired repeatedly with that conditioned stimulus.

Taste Aversion

An adaptive form of classical conditioning in which an organism learns to avoid harmful foods, which can occur with a single stimulus pairing even if the unconditioned stimulus follows hours later.

Operant Conditioning

A simple form of learning in which an organism learns to engage in certain behaviour because it is reinforced or because of the consequences of its behaviour.

Reinforce

To follow a response with a stimulus that increases the frequency of the response.

Skinner Box

An operant chamber used for laboratory experimentation and observation in which experimental conditions can be carefully introduced and removed to observe their effects.

Reinforcer

Any stimulus that increases the frequency of a behaviour; consequences that are rewarding to behaviour.

Positive Reinforcement

A reinforcer that when presented increases the frequency and probability of a repeated response.

Negative Reinforcement

A reinforcer that when removed increases the frequency and probability of a repeated response.

Immediate Reinforcer

A reinforcer that immediately follows a behaviour, which provides more incentive than delayed consequences.

Delayed Reinforcer

A reinforcer that does not immediately follow a behaviour.

Primary Reinforcer

An unlearned reinforcer that fulfills some basic survival need, such as food, water, or warmth.

Secondary Reinforcer

A stimulus that gains reinforcement value through association with established reinforcers, such as money or grades; also termed conditioned reinforcer.

Punishment

An aversive event or unpleasant stimulus that suppresses or decreases the frequency of the behaviour it follows.

Positive Punishment

A type of punishment that involves the presentation of an unpleasant stimulus to decrease a behaviour.

Negative Punishment

A type of punishment that involves the removal of a pleasant stimulus to decrease a behaviour.

Escape Learning

Learning that involves responding to an aversive stimulus in order to end it.

Avoidance Learning

Learning that involves responding in order to avoid an aversive stimulus.

Discriminative Stimulus

In operant conditioning, a stimulus that indicates whether reinforcement or punishment will follow.

Continuous Reinforcement

A schedule of reinforcement in which every correct response is reinforced.

Partial Reinforcement

A schedule of reinforcement in which not every correct response is reinforced.

Fixed-Interval Schedule

A schedule in which a fixed amount of time must elapse between the previous and subsequent times that reinforcement is available.

Variable-Interval Schedule

A schedule in which a variable amount of time must elapse between the previous and subsequent times that reinforcement is available.

Fixed-Ratio Schedule

A schedule in which reinforcement is provided after a fixed number of correct responses.

Variable-Ratio Schedule

A schedule in which reinforcement is provided after a variable number of correct responses.

Schedules of Reinforcement Responses Graph

A graphic plot showing response rates across fixed-ratio, variable-ratio, fixed-interval (rapid responding near time for reinforcement), and variable-interval schedules.

Shaping

A procedure for teaching complex behaviours that reinforces successive approximations of the desired behaviour.

Successive Approximations

Behaviours that are progressively closer to a target behaviour.

Observational Learning

Acquiring knowledge and skills by observing the behaviour of others (models) rather than by means of direct experience.

Models

People who engage in responses that serve as examples for others to imitate.

Vicarious Reinforcement

The learning effect that occurs when an observer sees a modelled behaviour being reinforced.

Imitation of Aggressive Models Study

Albert Bandura's classic experiment demonstrating that children frequently imitate aggressive behaviour observed in adult models striking a clown doll.