PSYC1000 Midterm 2 Study Sheet

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts related to classical and operant conditioning, cognitive perspectives on learning, and memory systems, which are crucial for the PSYC1000 Midterm 2 exam.

Learning

Any relatively permanent change in behavior as a result of practice or experience.

Classical Conditioning

A learning process that involves associating an unconditioned stimulus with a neutral stimulus to elicit a conditioned response.

Unconditioned Stimulus (US)

An event that naturally produces a reflexive response.

Operant Conditioning

A type of learning where behavior is controlled by consequences such as rewards or punishments.

Law of Effect

Thorndike's principle stating that behaviors followed by favorable consequences are more likely to be repeated.

Skinner Box

An experimental apparatus used to study operant conditioning by rewarding animals for specific behaviors.

Extinction

The process in which a conditioned response decreases or disappears when the conditioned stimulus is presented without the unconditioned stimulus.

Habituation

A decreased response to a repeated stimulus; an example of non-associative learning.

Cognitive Learning

Learning that involves mental processes such as attention, memory, and expectation.

Latent Learning

Learning that occurs without reinforcement and is not immediately reflected in behavior.

Mirror Neurons

Neurons that fire both when an individual performs an action and when they observe someone else performing the same action.

Long-Term Potentiation (LTP)

A long-lasting enhancement in signal transmission between neurons that results from stimulating them simultaneously.

Memory Deterioration

The decline in memory associated with aging, typically involving reduced blood flow and fewer synapses.

Attachment Styles

The different ways individuals relate and bond with others, typically categorized as secure, insecure-avoidant, insecure-ambivalent, and disorganized.

Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)

The difference between what a learner can do without help and what they can achieve with guidance.

Centration

The tendency of a child to focus on one aspect of a situation and neglect others, characteristic of the preoperational stage.

Scaffolding

A teaching method that involves providing support and gradually withdrawing it as students become more competent.

Cognitive Map

A mental representation of spatial relationships in the environment, as demonstrated in Tolman's rat studies.