AP Psychology Vocab (Learning)

The process of acquiring through experiencing new and relatively enduring information or behaviors.

Learning

Decreasing responsiveness with repeated exposure to a stimulus.

Habituation

Learning that certain events occur together. The events may be two stimuli (as in classical conditioning) or a response and its consequence (as is operant conditioning.)

Associative Learning

Any event or situation that evokes a response.

Stimulus

Behavior that occurs as an automatic response to some stimulus.

Respondent Behavior

Behavior that operates on the environment, producing consequences.

Operant Behavior

The acquisition of mental information, whether by observing event, by watching others, or through language.

Cognitive Learning

A type of learning in which we link two or more stimuli; as a result, the first stimulus come to elicit behavior in anticipation of the second stimulus.

Classical Conditioning

The view that psychology (1) should be an objective science that (2) studies behavior without reference to mental processes. Most scientists agree with (1) but not (2)

Behaviorism

In classical conditioning, a stimulus that elicits no response before conditioning.

Neutral Stimulus (NS)

In classical conditioning, an unlearned, naturally occurring response (such as salivation) to an unconditioned stimulus (US) (such as food in the mouth)

Unconditioned Response (UR)

In classical conditioning, a stimulus that unconditionally — naturally and automatically triggers and unconditioned response (UR)

Unconditioned Stimulus (US)

In classical conditioning, a learned response to a previously neutral (but now conditioned) stimulus.

Conditioned Response (CR)

In classical conditioning, an originally neutral stimulus that, after association with an unconditioned stimulus (US), comes to trigger a conditioned response.

Conditioned Stimulus (CS)

In classical conditioning, the initial stage, when one links a neutral stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus so that the neutral stimulus begins triggering the conditioned response. In operant conditioned, the strengthening of a reinforced response.

Acquisition

A procedure in which the conditioned stimulus in one conditioning experience is paired with a neutral stimulus, creating a second (often weaker) conditioned stimulus.

Higher Order Conditioning

The diminishing of a conditioned response; occurs in classical conditioning when an unconditioned stimulus does not follow a conditioned stimulus; occurs in operant conditioning when a response is no long reinforced.

Extinction

The reappearance, after a pause, of an extinguished conditioned response.

Spontaneous Recovery

The tendency, once a response has been conditioned, for stimuli similar to the conditioned stimulus to elicit similar responses. In operant conditioning, this occurs when responses learned in one situation occur in other, similar situations.

Generalization

In classical conditioning, the learned ability to distinguish been a conditioned stimulus and a similar stimuli that do not signal an unconditioned stimulus. In operant conditioning, the ability to distinguish responses that are reinforced from similar responses that are not reinforced.

Discrimination

A type of learning in which a behavior becomes more likely to recur if followed by a reinforced or less likely to recur is follower by a punisher

Operant Conditioning

Thorndike’s principle that behaviors followed by favorable consequences become more likely, and that behaviors followed by unfavorable consequences become less likely.

Law of Effect

In operant conditioning research, a chamber (or Skinner box) containing a bar or key that an animal can manipulate to obtain a food or water reinforcer; attached devices record the animals rate of bar pressing or key pecking.

Operant Chamber

In operant conditioning, any event that strengthens the behavior is follows.

Reinforcement

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

Shaping

In operant conditioning, a stimulus that elicits a response after association with reinforcement (in contrast to related stimuli not associated with reinforcement.)

Discriminative Stimulus

Increasing behaviors by presenting positive reinforcers. A positive reinforcer is any stimulus that, when presented after a response, strengthens the response.

Positive Reinforcement

Increasing behaviors by stopping or reducing aversive stimuli. A negative reinforcer is any stimuli that, when removed after a response, strengthens the response.

Negative Reinforcement

An innately reinforcing stimulus, such as one that satisfies a biological need.

Primary Reinforcer

A stimulus that gains its reinforcing power through its association with a primary reinforcer; also known as secondary reinforcer.

Conditioned (Secondary) Reinforcer

A pattern that defines how often a desired response will be reinforced.

Reinforcement Schedule

Reinforcing the desired response every time it occurs.

Continuous Reinforcement Schedule

Reinforcing a response only part of the time it occurs.

Partial (Intermittent) Reinforcement Schedule

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

Fixed Ratio Schedule

In operant conditioning, a reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response after an unpredictable number of responses.

Variable Ratio Schedule

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

Fixed Interval Schedule

In operant conditioning, a reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response at unpredictable time intervals.

Variable Interval Schedule

An event that tends to decrease the behavior that it follows.

Punishment

A system for electronically recording, amplifying, and feeding back information regarding a subtle physiological state, such as blood pressure or muscle tension.

Biofeedback

A biological predisposition to learn associations, such as between taste ad nausea, that have survival value.

Preparedness

The tendency of learned behavior to gradually revert to biologically predisposed patterns.

Instinctive Drift

A mental representation of the layout of ones environment.

Cognitive Map

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

Latent Learning

A sudden realization of a problems solution.

Insight

A desire to perform a behavior effectively for its own sake.

Intrinsic Motivation

A desire to perform a behavior to receive promised rewards or avoid threatened punishment.

Extrinsic Motivation

Attempting to alleviate stress directly — by changing the stressor or the way we interact with that stressor.

Problem Focused Coping

Attempting to alleviate stress by avoiding or ignoring a stressor and attending to emotional needs related to our stress reaction.

Emotion Focused Coping

Our sense of controlling our environments rather than feeling helpless.

Personal Control

The hopelessness and passive resignation an animal or person learns when unable to avoid repeated aversive events.

Learned Helplessness

The perception that chance or outside forces beyond our personal control determine our fate.

External Locus of Control

The perception that we control our own fate.

Internal Locus of Control

The ability to control impulses and delay short-term gratification for greater long-term rewards.

Self Control

Learning by observing others (also called social learning.)

Observational Learning

The process of observing and imitating a specific behavior.

Modeling

Frontal lobe neurons that some scientists believe fire when we perform certain actions or observe another doing so. The brains mirrors of anothers actions may enable imitation and empathy.

Mirror Neurons

Positive, constructive, helpful behavior. The opposite of antisocial behavior.

Prosocial Behavior