Classical conditioning key words

Tabula rasa

Clean slate, no innate ideas

Environmental determinism

behaviour is determined by forces outside of the individual - our behaviour is caused by previous experience learned through classical and operant conditioning.

Classical conditioning meaning

learning through associations

unconditioned stimulus (UCS) meaning

something that triggers a natural reaction

unconditioned response (UCR) meaning

natural response - does not need to be learned

neutral stimulus (NS) meaning

something that would not normally trigger a reaction

Conditioned stimulus (CS) meaning

Triggers a learnt response to something we have been conditioned to respond to (NS becomes CS)

conditioned response (CR) meaning

learned through association. (UCR becomes CR)

Generalisation meaning

Tendency of CS to produce behaviour to similar stimulus after response is conditioned

Discrimination meaning

Over time, learning only occurs in response to a specific stimulus

Extinction meaning?

Removal of behaviour, association may not be lost.

Spontaneous recovery meaning

Accelerated form of learning