Psych Test2

Learning

behavior+ consequences

Negative Reinforcement

getting rid of what you dont want to be there;does not equal punishment; ex:tylenol for headache

Negative and positive reinforcement

increase the chances that the behavior will be repeated by providing desirable outcomes or removing aversive stimuli.

Punishment

decreases the chances that the behavior will be repeatedby introducing an aversive consequence or removing a positive stimulus.

Classical conditioning

learning through association ; process by which we learn to associate stimuli and consequently to anticipate events (pavlovs dogs)

memory

internal record or representation of some prior event or experience

Memory is considered

constructive process in which we actively organize and shape info as it is processed, stored, and retrieved

encoding

processing info into the memory system

storage

retaining info over time; long term memory

retrieval

recovering stored infofrom memory when needed.

how to remember something/ working memory

retrieve it from long-term and bring it to short termmemory for use in current tasks.

Sensory memory storage

lasts up to 1/2sec for visual and 2-4 sec for auditory; has large capacity but info only lasts for few seconds and selected info is sent on to short term memory

short term memory

a temporary storage system that holds information for a limited duration, typically about 20 to 30 seconds, with a capacity of approximately 7 items.

unconditioned stimulus

stimulus that elicits a reflexive response in an organismwithout prior conditioning.

neutral stimulus

a stimulus that doesnt naturally elicit a response

conditioned stimulus

stimulus that elicits a response after repeatedly being paired with an unconditioned stimulusand becomes associated with it.

conditioned response

the learned response to a conditioned stimulus that occurs after conditioning.

higher/second order conditioning

pairing a new neutral stimulus with the conditioned stimulus to produce a conditioned response.

acquisition

initial period of learning during which a response is established and gradually strengthened.

extinction

the decrease in the conditioned response when the unconditioned stimulus is no longer presented with the conditioned stimulus

Spontaneous recovery

the return of a previously extinguished conditioned response following a rest period

stimulus discrimination

the ability to differentiate between different stimuli

stimulus generalization

the opposite of stimulus discrimination, where a conditioned response is elicited by stimuli that are similar to the original conditioned stimulus. (can differentiate between two different stimuli )

operant conditioning

organisms learn to associate a behavior and its consequence (do your chores, get your allowance, now you’re more likely to continue doing it since you know youll be paid)

operant conditioning means that the target behavior is

followed by reinforcement or punishment to either weaken or strengthen it !

law of effect

behaviors that are followed by consequences that are satisfying to the organism are more likely to be repeated and behaviors that are followed by unpleasant consequences are less likely to be repeated

positive reinforcement

involves presenting a rewarding stimulus after a desired behavior, increasing the likelihood of that behavior being repeated.

negative reinforcement

involves removing an aversive stimulus after a desired behavior, thereby increasing the likelihood of that behavior being repeated. (car seatbelt chimes loudly until you fasten it)

automatic processing

encoding of details like time, space, frequency, and the meaning of words

effortful processing

the encoding of information that requires attention and conscious effort, such as studying for an exam.

encoding

the process of transforming information into a form that can be stored in memory.

semantic encoding

encoding of words and their meaning

self reference effect

tendency for an individual to have better memory for info that relates to oneself in comparison to material that has less personal relevance

short term memory

a temporary storage system that holds a limited amount of information for a brief period, typically around 15 to 30 seconds.

implicit memories

long term memories that are not part of our consciousness and can influence thoughts and behaviors without deliberate recall.

explicit memories

we consciously try to remember , recall, and report;information, such as facts and events, that can be intentionally retrieved and communicated.

Ebbinghaus found that

forgetting occurs most rapidly immediately after learning; relearning takes less time than initial learning

why do we forget?

memory decay, interference, motivated forgetting, encoding failure, retrieval failure

decay theory

memory degrades with time “use it or lose it”.

interference theory

one memory competes w another

retroactive interference

new info interferes w old

proactive interference

old info interferes with new

motivated forgetting

motivation to forget unpleasant, painful, threatening, or embarrassing memory

encoding ‘failure’

info in STM is not encoded in LTM

retrieval failure

memories stored in LTM are momentarily inaccessible (tip of tongue phenomenon)

serial position effect

remembering material at the beginning and end of a list better than material in the middle

the theory of __ forgetting best explains why you forgot the name of a previous employer who gave a bad performance evaluation

motivated

why do we distort our memories

to maintain logic and consistency and its more efficient to do so

ways to improve memory

pay attention and reduce distractions, use rehearsal tech. and employ self monitoring , improve organization, counteract the serial position effect, manage your time, use the encoding specificity principle, use mnemonics

hormones

have an effect on memoriesM

memories are NOT

stored in one particular area of brain

TBI

leading cause of neurological problems in young adults

amnesia

memory loss from brain injury/trauma

retrograde amnesia

old memories lost, partially due to lack of consolidation

anterograde amnesia

new memories lost; cant form new memories

alzheimers disease

progressive mental deterioration characterized by sever loss of memory