Psych 9B Exam 1 UCI

implicit learning

learning without knowing one is learning

habituation

a decrease in the strength of response after repeated presentation of a stimulus

sensitization

responding more vigorously to almost any stimulus after threat

Classical Conditioning (Pavlov)

repeatedly pairing a neutral stimulus with an unconditioned stimulus

first-order conditioning

A CS is linked directly with a US.

second-order conditioning

conditioning where a CS is paired with a stimulus that became associated with the US in an earlier procedure

generalization

the tendency, once a response has been conditioned, for stimuli similar to the conditioned stimulus to elicit similar responses

extinction

the diminishing of a conditioned response; occurs in classical conditioning when an unconditioned stimulus (US) does not follow a conditioned stimulus (CS);

spontaneous recovery

the reappearance, after a pause, of an extinguished conditioned response

systematic desensitization

A type of exposure therapy that associates a pleasant relaxed state with gradually increasing anxiety-triggering stimuli. Commonly used to treat phobias.

Thorndike's Law of Effect

behaviors followed by favorable consequences become more likely, and behaviors followed by unfavorable consequences become less likely

shaping

an operant conditioning procedure in which reinforcers guide behavior toward closer and closer approximations of the desired behavior

classical conditioning psychologists

Ivan Pavlov and John B. Watson

operant/instrumental conditioning psychologists

Edward Thorndike, B.F. Skinner

continuous reinforcement

reinforcing the desired response every time it occurs; easily extinguished

fixed ratio reinforcement schedule

always reinforced after a set number of responses

variable ratio reinforcement

reinforced after an average of a certain number of responses; hard to extinguish because unpredictable

fixed interval reinforcement

reinforced after a set amount of time has passed

variable interval reinforcement

reinforced after an average of a certain amount of time has passed

memory

changes in the brain as a result of past experiences that influence the way we think, feel, or behave

memory capacity

how much information it can hold

memory duration

how long information stays

iconic memory

visual sensory memory; duration is less than 1 second

echoic memory

auditory sensory memory, duration less than 4 seconds

working memory

holds information from sensory memory, or current information retrieved from long-term memory; duration = 30 seconds unless actively rehearsing; capacity 7(+/-2) items

chunking

grouping information in meaningful ways in order to hold more information in working memory

recency effect

tendency to remember words at the end of a list especially well because they are still in short term memory

primacy effect

tendency to remember words at the beginning of a list especially well because of more opportunity for rehearsal

depth of processing model

the deeper the analysis and the more connections made, the greater the odds a new memory will be stored in long-term memory

long-term potentiation

a lasting increase in the strength of connections between neurons

explicit memory

memory of facts and experiences that one can consciously know and "declare"

implicit memory

retention independent of conscious recollection

episodic memory

involves the recollection of specific events, situations and experiences

semantic memory

memory for knowledge about the world

schemas

Concepts or mental frameworks that organize and interpret information.

bottom-up processing

focusing on details when perceiving or remembering something

top-down processing

drawing on general knowledge or expectations when perceiving or remembering something

procedural memory

a type of implicit memory that involves motor skills and behavioral habits

priming

the activation, often unconsciously, of certain associations, thus predisposing one's perception, memory, or response

retrograde amnesia

inability to remember events that happened before one's trauma

anterograde amnesia

inability to establish new memories for events after trauma

proactive interference

old information makes it harder to remember new information

retroactive interference

new information makes it harder to remember old information

context dependent learning

memory is enhanced if people learn and recall information in the same context or physical state

emotion-congruent memory

people remember information that matches their current emotional state

nonassociative learning

responding after repeated exposure to a single stimulus, or event

stimulus discrimination

a differentiation between two similar stimuli when only one of them is consistently associated with the unconditioned stimulus

Rescoria-Wagner Model

a cognitive model of classical conditioning; it holds that the strength of the CS-US association is determined by the extent to which the unconditioned stimulus is unexpected

partial-reinforcement extinction effect

the greater persistence of behavior under partial reinforcement than under continuous reinforcement

behavior modification

the use of operant conditioning techniques to bring about desired changes in behavior

cognitive map

a mental representation of the layout of one's environment

latent learning

learning that takes place in the absence of reinforcement

modeling

the process of observing and imitating a behavior

vicarious learning

learning the consequences of an action by watching others being rewarded or punished for performing the action

mirror neurons

neurons in the brain that are activated when one observes another individual engage in an action and when one performs a similar action

Encoding

the processing of information so that it can be stored

storage

the retention of encoded information over time

Consolidation

the process by which encoded information becomes stored in memory

reconsolidation

neural processes involved when memories are recalled and then stored again for retrieval

serial position effect

our tendency to recall best the last and first items in a list

retrieval cue

anything that helps a person (or a nonhuman animal) recall information stored in long-term memory

encoding specificity principle

the idea that any stimulus that is encoded along with an experience can later trigger a memory for the experience

mnemonics

learning aids, strategies, and devices that improve recall through the use of retrieval cues

prospective memory

remembering to do something at some future time

transcience

forgetting over time

blocking

the temporary inability to remember something

absentmindedness

the inattentive or shallow encoding of events

persistence

the continual recurrence of unwanted memories

memory bias

the changing of memories over time so that they become consistent with current beliefs or attitudes

flashbulb memories

vivid episodic memories for the circumstances in which people first learned of a surprising, consequential, or emotionally arousing event

source misattribution

memory distortion that occurs when people misremember the time, place, person, or circumstances involved with a memory

source amnesia

a type of misattribution that occurs when a person shows memory for an event but cannot remember where he or she encountered the information

cryptomnesia

a type of misattribution that occurs when a person thinks he or she has come up with a new idea, yet has only retrieved a stored idea and failed to attribute the idea to its proper source

suggestibility

the development of biased memories from misleading information

retention interval

the time that elapses between learning and retrieval