intro to psychology

studying tools for the test

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 to enviorment that one can respond to

RESPONSE

any behavior or action

UNCONDITIONED RESPONSE

an automatic response to the unconditioned stimulus

UNCONDITIONED STIMULUS

a stimulus that triggers a predictable or natural response reflexively and automatically

CONDITIONED STIMULUS

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

CONDITIONED RESPONSE

the response to the unconditioned stimulus

ACQUISITON

the processes of developing a learned response

EXTINCTION

the diminishing of a learned response after repeated presentation of the conditioned stimulus alone

GENERALIZATION

producing the same response to two similar stimuli

DISCRIMINATION

the ability to distinguish between two signals or stimuli and produce different responses

BEHAVIORISM

the theory that psychology should only study observable behavior not mental processes

COGNITION

all mental processes associated with thinking, knowing, and remembering

OPERANT CONDITIONING

the frequency of behavior depends on the consequences that follow that behavior

REINFORCEMENT

any consequence that increases the future like hood of a behavior

PUNISHMENT

any consequences that decreases the future like hood of a behavior

POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT

anything that increases the like hood of a behavior by following it with a desirable event or state

NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT

anything that increases the like hood of a behavior by folowing it with the removal of an undesirable event or state

SECONDARY REINFORCEMENT

something that you have learned to value, like money

PRIMARY REINFORCEMENT

something that is naturally reinforcing such as food when you’re hungry and water when you’re thirsty

SHAPING

reinforcement of behaviors that are increasingly similar to the desired one; the operant technique used to establish new behaviors

DISCRIMINATION

the ability to distinguish between two similar signals or stimuli and produce different response

EXTINCTION

the loss of a behavior when no consequences follow it

CONTINUOUS REINFORCEMENT

a schedule of reinforcement in which a reward follows every correct response

PARTIAL REINFORCEMENT SCHEDULE

a schedule of reinforcement in which only follows only some correct responses

FIXED-INTERVAL SCHEDULE

a partial reinforcement schedule that rewards only the first correct response after some defined period

VARIABLE-INTERVAL SCHEDULE

a partial reinforcement schedule that rewards the first correct response after an unpredictable amount of the time

FIXED-RATIO SCHEDULE

a partial reinforcement schedule that rewards a response only after some defined number if correct responses

VARIABLE-RATIO SCHEDULE

a partial reinforcement schedule that rewards after an unpredictable number of correct responses

LATENT LEARNING

learning that occurs but is not apparent until the learner has an incentive to demonstrate it

COGNITIVE MAP

the mental representation of a place