Psychology 100: Learning & Memory

This flashcard set includes key vocabulary terms related to concepts of learning and memory in psychology, including classical and operant conditioning.

Learning

A lasting change in behavior as the result of an experience.

Memory

Information that is encoded and stored in the brain as the result of a learning experience.

Conditioned Response (CR)

A learned reflex that occurs in response to a conditioned stimulus.

Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS)

A stimulus that elicits an unlearned response or reflex.

Classical Conditioning

A learning process that occurs when two stimuli are repeatedly paired, leading to a learned response.

Operant Conditioning

Learning through the consequences of voluntary behavior, where behaviors are strengthened or weakened by rewards or punishments.

Law of Effect

The principle that behaviors followed by favorable consequences are more likely to be repeated.

Reinforcement

A consequence that increases the likelihood of a behavior being repeated.

Primary Reinforcer

A stimulus that has natural value for the organism, such as food or water.

Secondary Reinforcer

A stimulus that gains its reinforcing power through association with a primary reinforcer.

Extinction (in conditioning)

The process by which a conditioned response diminishes when the conditioned stimulus is no longer paired with the unconditioned stimulus.

Variable Ratio Schedule

A reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response after an unpredictable number of responses, leading to high and persistent rates of responding.

Cognitive Maps

Mental representations of physical locations in the environment, formed through observation and experience.

Social-Cognitive Learning

Learning that occurs through observing the behaviors of others and the consequences that follow.

Vicarious Learning

Learning that occurs by observing the consequences of another person's behavior.