AP Psych Unit 3 Vocab Set #2

Behavioral Perspective

an approach to the study of psychology that focuses on the role of learning in explaining observable behavior

Classical Conditioning

a type of learning in which an organism comes to associate two unrelated stimuli

Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS)

in classical conditioning, a stimulus that naturally and automatically triggers a response

Unconditioned Response (UR)

in classical conditioning, the unlearned, naturally occurring response to the unconditioned stimulus (US) (e.g., salivation when food is in the mouth)

Conditioned Response (CR)

in classical conditioning, the learned response to a previously neutral (but now conditioned) stimulus (CS)

Conditioned Stimulus

in classical conditioning, an originally irrelevant stimulus that, after association with an unconditioned stimulus, comes to trigger a conditioned response (CR)

Extinction

the diminishing of a conditioned response

Spontaneous Recovery

the reappearance, after a pause, of an extinguished conditioned response

Stimulus Discrimination

the tendency to stop making a generalized response to a stimulus that is similar to the original conditioned stimulus because the similar stimulus is never paired with the unconditioned stimulus

Stimulus Generalization

the tendency to response to a stimulus that is only similar to the original conditioned stimulus with the conditioned response

Higher-Order Conditioning

a procedure in which a neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus through association with an already-established conditioned stimulus

Counterconditioning

a behavior therapy procedure that conditions new responses to stimuli that trigger unwanted behaviors (includes exposure therapies and aversive conditioning)

Taste Aversion

a classically conditioned dislike for an avoidance of a particular food that develops when an organism becomes ill after eating the food

One-Trail Leraning/Conditioning

when conditioning occurs after a single experience, typically involving relatively intense fear, pain, or sickness

Biological Preparedness

in learning theory, the idea that an organism is innately predisposed to form associations between certain stimuli and responses

Habituation

an organism’s decreasing response to a stimulus with repeated exposure to it

Operant Conditioning

a type of learning in which behavior is strengthened if followed by a reinforcer or diminished if followed by a punisher

Reinforcement

in operant conditioning, any event that strengthens the behavior it follors

Punishment

in operant conditioning, a consequence of a behavior that decreases the likelihood of that behavior

Law of Effect

that principle that behaviors followed by favorable consequences become more likely, while behaviors followed by unfavorable consequences become less likely

Positive Reinforcement

a consequence that encourages a target behavior by providing a pleasant reward in response

Negative Reinforcement

a consequence that encourages a target behavior by removing (or allowing the subject to avoid) an unpleasant stimulus in response

Primary Reinforcers

events that are inherently reinforcing because they satisfy biological needs

Secondary Reinforcers

events that acquire reinforcing qualities through learning and conditioning

Reinforcement Discrimination

the ability to distinguish between different situations where reinforcement is provided

Reinforcement Generalization

the tendency to respond similarly to different stimuli that are associated with the same reinforcement

Shaping

an operant conditioning procedure in which reinforcers guide behavior toward closer and closer approximation of the desired behavior

Superstitious Behavior

a behavior repeated because it seems to produce reinforcement, even though it is actually unnecessary

Learned Helplessness

the hopelessness and passive resignation an animal or human learns when unable to avoid repeated aversive events

Reinforcement Schedules

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

Continuous Reinforcement

reinforcing the desired response every time it occurs

Partial Reinforcement

reinforcing a response only part of the time

Fixed Interval

a reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response only after a specified time has elapsed

Variable Interval

a reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response at unpredictable time intervals

Fixed Ratio

a reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response only after a specified number of responses

Variable Ratio

a reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response after an unpredictable number of responses

Scalloped Graph

the pattern that appears on a cumulative response graph when a fixed-interval reinforcement schedule is used; reflects an inconsistent pattern of responding in which the organism only begins making the response as the time for the available reinforcements draws near

Social Learning Theory

the theory that we learn social behavior by observing and imitating and by being rewarded or punished

Vicarious Conditioning

learning the consequences of an action by watching others being rewarded or punished for performing the action

Modeling

the process of observing and imitating a specific behavior

Insight Learning

a form of problem solving in which the organism develops a sudden understanding of a problem’s solution

Latent Learning

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

Cognitive Maps

an internal representation of the spatial relationships between objects in an animal’s surroundings