AP Psych Learning Vocab

Learning

Humans adapting to environments

Associative Learning

Learning certain events occur together. The events can be two stimuli or a response and it’s consequence

Classical Conditioning

Type of learning which links two or more stimuli

Behaviorism

View that psychology should be an objective science that studies behavior without reference to mental process

Unconditional Stimulus (US or UCS)

A stimulus that naturally and automatically (unconditionally) triggers an unconditional response

Conditioned Response (CR)

Learned response to a previously neutral (now conditioned) stimulus

Conditioned Stimulus (CS)

Originally neutral stimulus that after association with unconditional stimulus comes to trigger conditioned response

Acquisition

Initial stage when one links a neutral stimulus to an unconditional stimulus so the neutral stimulus triggers the conditional response

Higher Order Conditioning

Procedure which the conditioned stimulus in one conditioning experience is paired with a new neutral stimulus, creating a second (weaker) conditioned stimulus

Extinction

The diminishing of a conditioned response, occurs when an unconditional stimulus doesn’t follow a conditioned stimulus

Spontaneous Recovery

The reappearance, after a pause of an extinguished conditional response

Generalization

The tendency once a response has been conditioned for stimuli similar to the conditioned stimulus to elicit similar responses

Discrimination

Learned ability to distinguish between a conditioned stimulus and similar stimuli

Little Albert Experiment

Conditioning a young child to fear a white rat by pairing the rat with a loud, scary noise

Counterconditioning

Behavior technique where an unwanted response to a stimulus is replaced with a new more desirable response by associating the stimulus with a positive experience

Biological Preparedness

The idea that organisms are innately predisposed to form associations between certain stimuli and responses

One-trial conditioning

When a single instance of pairing a stimulus with a response is sufficient to create a lasting association

Operant Conditioning

Type of learning which a behavior becomes more likely to recur if followed by a reinforcer or less likely to recur if followed by a punisher

The Law of Effect

Thorn-dives principle that behaviors followed by favorable consequences become more likely

Reinforcement

In operant conditioning, any event that strengthens the behavior it follows

Shaping

Procedure which reinforcers guide behavior toward closer approximations

Positive reinforcement

Increasing behaviors by presenting positive reinforcers; any stimulus that when presented after a response, strengthens the response

Negative Reinforcement

Any stimulus that when removed after a response, strengthens the response

Primary Reinforcers

An innately reinforcing stimulus, such as one that satisfies a biological stimulus

Secondary Reinforcers

Stimuli that gain their reinforcing power through their association with primary reinforcers

Immediate vs. delayed reinforcement

Immediate - Occurs right after a behavior

Delayed - Happens after a time-lag

Continuous Reinforcement

Reinforcing the desired response every time it occurs

Partial (intermittent) reinforcement schedule

Reinforcing a response only part of the time; results in slower acquisition of a response but much greater resistance to extinction than does continuous reinforcement

Fix-ratio reinforcement schedules

In operant conditioning, a reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response only after a specified number of responses

Variable-ratio reinforcement schedules

In operant conditioning, a reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response after an unpredictable number of responses

Fixed-interval reinforcement schedules

In operant conditioning, a reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response only after a specified time has elapsed

Variable-interval reinforcement schedules

In operant conditioning, a reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response at unpredictable time intervals

Punishment

An event that tends to decrease the behavior that it follows

Positive punishment

Adding an unpleasant stimulus to decrease a behavior

Negative punishment

Removing a desirable stimulus to decrease a behavior

Basic Idea (Classical Conditioning)

Learning associations between events we do not control

Basic Idea (Operant Conditioning)

Learning associations between our behavior and its consequences

Response (Classical Conditioning)

Involuntary, automatic

Response (Operant Conditioning)

Voluntary, operates an environment

Acquisition (Classical condiitoning)

Associating events; NS is paired with US and becomes CS

Acquisition (Operant Conditioning)

Associating a response with a consequence (reinforcer or punisher)

Extinction (Classical Conditioning)

CR decreases when CS is repeatedly presented alone

Extinction (Operant Conditioning)

Responding decreases when reinforcement stops

Spontaneous Recovery (Classical Conditioning)

The reappearance, after a rest period, of an extinguished CR

Spontaneous Recovery (Operant Conditioning)

The reappearance, after a rest paired, of an extinguished response

Generalization (Classical Conditioning)

The tendency to respond to stimuli similar to the CS

Generalization (Operant Conditioning)

Responses learned in one situation occuring in other similar situations

Discrimination (Classical Conditioning)

Learning to distinguish between a CS and other stimuli that do not signal a US

Discrimination (Operant Conditioning)

Learning that some responses, but not others, will be reinforced

Preparedness

A biological predisposition to learn associations, such as between taste and nausea, that have survival value

Taste Aversion

This learning occurs readily because our biology prepares us to learn taste aversions to toxic foods

Instinctive Drift

The tendency of learned behavior to gradually revert to biologically predisposed patterns

Cognitive Maps

Mental representation of the layout of ones environment

Latent Learning

Learning that occurs but is not apparent until there is an incentive to demonstrate it

Insight Learning

A sudden realization of a problems solution; contrasts with a strategy based solutions

Learned Helplessness

The hopelessness and passive resignation an animal or person learns when unable to avoid repeated aversive events

Bobo Doll Experiment

Demonstrated that children can learn aggressive behaviors through the observation of others - Albert Bandura

Social Learning Theory

People learn behaviors through observation, imitation and modeling

Vicarious Conditioning

Learning a behavior by observing the consequences of others actions