3.8 operant conditioning

secondary reinforcer

neutral object that becomes associated with a primary reinforcer

Reinforcement Discrimination

The ability to distinguish between different situations where reinforcement is provided.

Reinforcement Generalization

The tendency to respond similarly to different stimuli that are associated with the same reinforcement.

Shaping

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

instinctive drift

tendency for animals to return to innate behaviors following repeated reinforcement

learned helplessness

the tendency to fail to act to escape from a situation because of a history of repeated failures in the past

reinforcement schedule

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

fixed ratio schedule

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

variable ratio schedule

a reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response after an unpredictable number of responses

fixed interval schedule

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

variable interval schedule

a reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response at unpredictable time intervals

social learning

Learning through observing others.

vicarious learning

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

latent learning

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

insight learning

The process of learning how to solve a problem or do something new by applying what is already known

cognitive map

a mental representation of the layout of one's environment