ap psych unit 3 pt 1 vocab quiz

behavioral perspective

behaviorism is a psychological approach that emphasizes the role of learning and conditioning in shaping human and animal behavior. behaviorists argue that observable behaviors, rather than unobservable mental processes, are the primary focus of psychology

classical conditioning

a type of learning in which we link two or more stimuli; as a result, to illustrate with pavlov’s classic experiment, the first stimulus (a tone) comes to elicit behavior (drooling) in anticipation of the second stimulus (food)

association

the basis of all learning is in what two things we associate together, and how that triggers a response

acquisition

in classical conditioning, the initial stage — when one links a neutral stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus so that the neutral stimulus begins triggering the conditioned response. (in operant conditioning, the strengthening of a reinforced response)

associative learning

learning that certain events occur together. the events may be two stimuli (as in classical conditioning) or a response and its consequence (as in operant conditioning)

unconditioned stimulus (UCS)

in classical conditioning, a stimulus that unconditionally — naturally and automatically — triggers an unconditioned response (UCR)

unconditioned response (UCR)

in classical conditioning, an unlearned, naturally occurring response (such as salivation) to an unconditioned stimulus (UCS) (such as food in the mouth)

conditioned response (CR)

in classical conditioning, a learned response to a previously neutral (but now conditioned) stimulus (CS)

conditioned stimulus (CS)

in classical conditioning, an originally neutral stimulus that, after association with an unconditioned stimulus (UCS), comes to trigger a conditioned response (CR)

extinction

when a UCS (food) does not follow a CS (tone), CR (salivation) starts to decrease and at some point goes extinct

spontaneous recovery

the reappearance, after a pause, of a weakened conditioned response

stimulus discrimination

the learned ability to distinguish between a CS and other stimuli that do not signal a CR

stimulus generalization

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

higher-order thinking

a procedure in which the conditioned stimulus in one conditioning experience is paired with a new neutral stimulus, creating a second (often weaker) conditioned stimulus. for example, an animal that has learned that a tone predicts food might then learn that a light predicts the tone and begin responding to the light alone. (also called second-order conditioning)

counterconditioning

a technique used to end unwanted behaviors. it can be an effective way to curb addiction

taste aversion

when we associate food we ate with a bad experience we had with that particular food (food poisoning), and are now repulsed by that food

one-trial conditioning

one exposure to the aversive stimulus is enough to end the behavior forever

biological preparedness

a biological predisposition to learn associations, such as between taste and nausea, that have survival value

one-trial learning

learning takes place in a single pairing of a response and stimulus and is not strengthened over time by repeated exposure to a stimulus

habituation

decreasing responsiveness with repeated stimulation. as infants gain familiarity with repeated exposure to a stimulus, their interest wanes and they look away sooner

operant conditioning

a type of learning in which a behavior becomes more likely to recur if followed by a reinforcer or less likely to recur if followed by a punisher

reinforcement

in operant conditioning, any event that strengthens the behavior it follows

punishment

an event that tends to decrease the behavior that it follows

law of effect

thorndike’s principle that behaviors followed by favorable (or reinforcing) consequences become more likely, and that behaviors followed by unfavorable (or punishing) consequences become less likely

positive reinforcement

increasing behaviors by presenting a pleasurable stimulus. a positive reinforcer is any stimulus that, when presented after a response, strengthens the response

negative reinforcement

increasing behaviors by stopping or reducing an aversive stimulus. a negative reinforcer is any stimulus that, when removed after a response, strengthens the response (note: not punishment)

primary reinforcers

an innately reinforcing stimulus, such as one that satisfies a biological need

secondary reinforcers

a stimulus that gains its reinforcing power through its association with a primary reinforcer (aka a conditioned reinforcer)

reinforcement discrimination

reinforcing a behavior in the presence of one stimulus but not others

reinforcement generalization

when a behavior that has been reinforced in a specific context is also exhibited in similar contexts

shaping

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

instinctive drift

the tendency of learned behavior to gradually revert to biologically predisposed patterns

superstitous behavior

the irrational belief that a specific action or behavior can influence unrelated events

learned helplessness

when we associate our action with failure due to persistent failure to succeed, leading to a sense of powerlessness even when given the chance to succeed

reinforcement schedules

a pattern that defines how often a desired response will be reinforced

continuous reinforcement

reinforcing the desired response every time it occurs

partial reinforcement

reinforcing a response only part of the time; results in slower acquisition of a response but much greater resistance to extinction than does continuous reinforcement

fixed interval

in operant conditioning, a reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response only after a specified time has elapsed

variable interval

in operant conditioning, a reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response at unpredictable time intervals

fixed ratio

in operant conditioning, a reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response only after a specified number of responses

variable ratio

in operant conditioning, a reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response after an unpredictable number of responses

scalloped graph

fixed interval schedules tend to produce overall response rates that are low and that increase as the time for reinforcement gets closer

social learning theory

the theory that we learn social behavior by observing and imitating and by being rewarded or punished

vicarious conditioning

learning through observing other people’s responses to an environmental stimulus that is most noticeable to the observer

modeling

the process of observing and imitating a specific behavior

insight learning

solving problems through sudden insight; contrasts with strategy-based solutions

latent learning

learning that occurs but is not apparent until there is an incentive to demonstrate it

cognitive maps

a mental representation of the layout of one’s environment. for example, after exploring a maze, rats act as if they have learned a __________ of it