Psychology Terms 3

Learning

The process of gaining, through experience, relatively permanent information and behaviors.

Classical Conditioning

A type of learning in which a stimulus gains the power to cause a response.

Stimulus

Anything in the environment that one can respond to.

Response

Any behavior or action.

Unconditioned Stimulus (US)

A stimulus that triggers a response reflexively and automatically.

Unconditioned Response (UR)

An automatic response to the unconditioned stimulus.

Conditioned Stimulus (CS)

A previously neutral stimulus that, through learning, gains the power to cause a response.

Conditioned Response (CR)

The response to the conditioned stimulus.

Acquisition

The process of developing a learned response.

Extinction

In classical conditioning, the diminishing of a learned response after repeated presentation of the conditioned stimulus alone.

Generalization

Producing the same response to two similar stimuli.

Discrimination

In social relations, taking action against a group of people because of stereotyped beliefs and feelings of prejudice.

Behaviorism

The theory that psychology should only study observable behaviors, not mental processes.

Cognition

All mental processes associated with thinking, knowing, and remembering.

Ivan Pavlov

Russian physiologist and learning theorist famous for the discovery of classical conditioning, in which learning occurs through association.

John B. Watson

Founder of behaviorism, the theory that psychology should restrict its efforts to studying observable behaviors, not mental processes.

Robert Rescorla

Developed a theory that emphasized the importance of cognitive processes in classical conditioning.

John Garcia

Psychologist known for his work in conditioning, despite facing significant personal obstacles.