Conditioning and Learning

operant conditioning

learning that occurs on the bases of the consequences of behavior and can involve the learning of new behaviors

law of effect

principle that responses that create a typically pleasant outcome in a particular situation are more likely to occur again in a small situation, whereas responses that produce a typically unpleasant outcome are less likely to occur again in that situation

Skinner box (operant chamber)

structure that is big enough to fit an organism and that contains a bar or key that the organism can press or peck to release a reward

reinforcer

any event that strengthens or increases the likelihood of a behavior

punisher

any even that weakens or decreases the likelihood of a behavior

continuous reinforcement schedule

desired response is reinforced every time it occurs

partial (intermittent) reinforcement schedule

schedule in which the responses are sometimes reinforced and sometimes not

fixed-interval schedule

reinforcement occurs for the first response made after a specific amount of time has passed

variable-interval schedule

reinforcers appear on an interval schedule, but the timing is varied around the average interval, making the actual appearance of the reinforcer unpredictable

fixed-ratio schedule

behavior is reinforced after a specific number of responses

shaping

process of guiding an organism's behavior to the desired outcome through the use of successive approximation to a final desired behavior

primary reinforcer

stimuli that are naturally preferred or enjoyed by the organism

secondary (conditioned) reinforcer

neutral event that has become associated with a primary reinforcer through classical conditioning

law of effect

individuals notice the consequences of their actions: they repeat actions that lead to desirable outcomes and avoid those that lead to undesirable results

insight

sudden understanding of a solution to a problem

latent learning

learning that is not reinforced and not demonstrated until there is motivation to do so