PSYCH 109 - Doug Elliffe (terminology)

Learning

Long-lasting changes in behaviour caused by environmental events.

Law of Effect

If a response is followed by a favourable consequence, the response is more likely to occur again.

Response

An item of behaviour.

Reinforcer

A favourable consequence that increases a behaviour.

Stimulus (stimuli)

Something in the environment that affects behaviour.

Operant Behaviour

Behaviour controlled by its consequences

Instrumental Behaviour

Another name for operant behaviour.

Operant Conditioning

Learning the association between a response and its consequences.

Instrumental Conditioning

Another name for operant conditioning.

Reinforcement

A consequence that increases the likelyhood of a behaviour occurring again.

Contingency

The response causes the reinforcer; reinforcement depends on the response

Shaping (Method of Successive Approximations)

Reinforcing behaviours that get closer and closer to the desired response.

Positive Reinforcement

Presenting an appetitive (pleaseant) event after a behaviour, increasing that behaviour.

Negative Reinforcement

Removing an aversive (unpleasant) event after a behaviour, increasing that behaviour.

Positive Punishment

Presenting an aversive event after a behaviour, decreasing that behaviour.

Negative Punishment

Removing an appetitive event after a behaviour, decreasing that behaviour.

Positive Contingency

An event is presented following a response.

Negative Contingency

An event is removed following a response.

Punishment

A consequence that decreases the likelihood of a behaviour.

Extinction (EXT)

A behaviour decreases because reinforcement stops.

Primary Reinforcer

Reinforces behaviour because of innate biological significance.

Secondary (Conditioned) Reinforcer

A previously neutral stimulus that becomes reinforcing through association with a primary reinforcer.

Continuous Reinforcement

Every response is reinforced.

Intermittent Reinforcement

Only some responses are reinforced.

Schedule of Reinforcement

Rules specifying when reinforcement occurs.

Partial Reinforcement (Extinction) Effect (PREE)

Behaviour learned with intermittent reinforcement lasts longer during extinction than behaviour learned with continuous reinforcment.

Ratio Schedule

Reinforcement depends on the number of responses.

Interval Schedule

Reinforcement depends on time passing.

Fixed Ratio (FR)

Reinforcement depends on time passing.

Variable Ratio (VR)

Reinforcement after a varying number of responses.

Fixed Interval (FI)

Reinforcement after a fixed amount of time has passed.

Variable Interval (VI)

Reinforcement after varying amounts of time.

Differential Reinforcement of Other Behaviour (DRO)

Reinforcing the absence of an unwanted behaviour.

Fixed Time (FT) Schedule

Reinforcement delivered after a fixed amount of time regardless of behaviour.

Superstitious Behaviour

Behaviour accidentally reinforced by coincidence.

Stimulus Context

The environment in which a behaviour is reinforced.

Stimulus Control

The extent to which stimuli influence the probability of behaviour.

Generalization

Responding similarly to stimuli that resemble the original stimulus.

Discriminiation

Responding differently to different stimuli.

Antecedent

The stimulus that comes before a behaviour.

Behaviour

The response or action.

Consequence

What follows a behaviour and affects future behaviour.

Respondent (Classical/Pavlovian) Conditioning

Learning an association between two stimuli.

Unconditioned Stimulus (US)

A stimulus that naturally produces a response.

Unconditioned Response (UR)

The natural response to a US (Unconditioned Stimulus).

Conditioned Stimulus (CS)

A previously neutral stimulus that gains meaning through learning.

Concept Formation

Grouping related stimuli into categories.

Concurrent Schedules

Two reinforcement schedules available at the same time.

Matching Law

The proportion of responses matches the proportion of reinforcement received from each option.

Undermatching

Choice is less extreme than predicted by the Matching Law.