Psych Unit 5

Behavioral perspective

A psychological approach that emphasizes the study of observable behaviors, and the effects of learning and environmental factors on those behaviors.

Classical conditioning

A learning process that occurs through associations between an environmental stimulus and a naturally occurring stimulus.

Acquisition

The initial stage of learning when a response is first established and gradually strengthened.

Extinction

The diminishing of a conditioned response when an unconditioned stimulus no longer follows a conditioned stimulus.

Spontaneous recovery

The reappearance of a conditioned response after a rest period, following extinction.

Discriminative Stimulus

A stimulus that provides a cue for making a certain response in order to obtain reinforcement.

Stimulus generalization

The tendency to respond to stimuli that are similar but not identical to the conditioned stimulus.

Stimulus discrimination

The ability to distinguish between different stimuli and respond differently to them.

Higher order conditioning

A form of conditioning where a conditioned stimulus is paired with a new stimulus, creating a second conditioned response.

Taste aversions

A learned aversion to a particular food or drink after it is associated with illness.

Operant conditioning

A learning process through which the strength of a behavior is modified by reinforcement or punishment.

The Law of Effect

Edward Thorndike's principle stating that responses followed by satisfying outcomes are more likely to be repeated than those followed by unpleasant outcomes.

Positive reinforcement

The addition of a rewarding stimulus following a desired behavior to increase the likelihood of that behavior occurring again.

Negative reinforcement

The removal of an aversive stimulus to increase the likelihood of a behavior being repeated.

Positive punishment

The introduction of an unpleasant stimulus to decrease a behavior.

Negative punishment

The removal of a pleasant stimulus to reduce the occurrence of a behavior.

Primary reinforcers

Inherently reinforcing stimuli that satisfy basic needs, such as food and water.

Secondary reinforcers

Stimuli that acquire their reinforcing power through their association with primary reinforcers.

Shaping

A conditioning paradigm used to train a desired behavior by rewarding successive approximations of the target behavior.

Learned helplessness

A condition in which a person or animal learns to behave helplessly, failing to respond even when opportunities for change are available.

Social learning theory

A theory that suggests people learn behaviors through observation and modeling rather than direct reinforcement.

Observational learning

Learning that occurs through observing the behavior of others.

Cognitive maps

Mental representations of physical locations and environments.

Attributions

The process of explaining the causes of behavior and events, which can be dispositional (internal qualities) or situational (external circumstances).

Self-serving bias

The tendency to attribute positive events to one's own character but attribute negative events to external factors.

Cognitive dissonance

The psychological discomfort experienced when holding two or more conflicting beliefs, values, or attitudes.