AP Psych 3.7 Classical Conditioning

Behavioral Perspective

Examines how observable behaviors are learned and reinforced through interactions with the environment.

Associative Learning

Process of learning in which an individual forms connections between events that occur together. (Classical conditioning (Association) and Operant conditioning (Reinforcement and punishment))

Habituation (Non-Associative Learning)

Occurs when organisms grow accustomed too and exhibit a diminished response to a repeated or enduring stimulus.

Classical Conditioning

Learning method where we associate 2 stimuli, enabling us to anticipate events.

Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS)

Stimulus that naturally and automatically triggers a response without and learning needed.

Unconditioned Response (UR)

Natural and automatic reaction to a stimulus that occurs without any prior learning or conditioning.

Conditioned Stimulus (CS)

Previously neutral stimulus that, after being repeatedly paired with an unconditioned stimulus, evokes a conditioned response.

Conditioned Response (CR)

Learned response that occurs when a conditioned stimulus is presented, resulting from the association with an unconditioned stimulus.

Acqusition

Initial learning of an association

Extinction

Process in which the conditioned response weakens and eventually disappears when the conditioned stimulus is repeatedly presented without the unconditioned stimulus.

Spontaneous Recovery

Reappearance of a previously extinguished conditioned response after a period of rest, suggesting that extinction does not erase the association but suppresses it temporarily.

Stimulus Discrimination

Ability to differentiate between similar stimuli and respond different to them, learned through the conditioning process.

Stimulus Generalization

Tendency to respond to stimuli that are similar to the conditioned stimulus, as a result of the conditioning process.

Higher-Order Conditioning

Process where a previously conditioned stimulus is used to create further associations with new neutral stimuli, resulting in those, stimuli also eliciting a conditioned response.

Counterconditioning

Changing a learned response to something more preferred by pairing it with a different experience.

Taste Aversion

Learned association between the taste of a particular food feeling sick, often occurring after only one pairing.

One-Trial Conditoning

Learning that happens quickly after just 1 pairing of 2 things.

Biological Preparedness

Innate tendency of organisms to quickly learn associations between certain stimuli and responses that are relevant to their survival, such as food and danger.