Ch. 6. 10-11 - Retrieval & Fixed Schedules of Reinforcement

What is continuous reinforcement?

Reinforcement occurs every time a response is made.

What is partial (intermittent) reinforcement?

Only certain responses are rewarded, or reinforcement occurs after a certain amount of time.

What are the two dimensions of partial reinforcement schedules?

Ratio vs. interval schedules and fixed vs. variable schedules.

What is a fixed ratio schedule?

Reinforcement is delivered after a specific number of responses; e.g., a punch card gives a free drink after 7 purchases.

What is a fixed interval schedule?

Reinforcement occurs for the first response after a set amount of time; e.g., studying more right before a test.

What is recognition in memory retrieval?

Identifying a stimulus or piece of information when it is presented, e.g., multiple choice questions.

What is recall in memory retrieval?

Retrieving information without it being present, e.g., free or cued recall, short or long answer questions.

What is the encoding specificity principle?

Retrieval is most effective when it occurs in the same context as encoding.

What is context-dependent learning?

Information is more easily retrieved in the same environment where it was encoded.

What is state-dependent learning?

Retrieval is enhanced when a person is in the same physiological or psychological state as during encoding.

What is mood-dependent learning?

Retrieval is better when mood matches the mood during encoding.

What is context-dependent forgetting?

Forgetting that occurs when retrieval context differs from encoding context.

What is the context-reinstatement effect?

Recall improves when the original learning context is mentally or physically reinstated.