MODS 26-30

Learning

process of acquiring new and relatively enduring information or behaviors

Habutation

an organisms decreasing response to a stimulus with repeated exposure to it

Associative Learning

learning that certain events occur together.

Stimulus

any event or situation that evokes a response

Cognitive Learning

acquisition of mental information, whether by observing events, by watching others or through language

Classical Conditioning

a type of learning in which one learns to link two or more stimuli and anticipate events

Behaviorism

the view that psychology (1) should be an objective science that (2) studies behavior without reference to mental processes. Most research psychologist today agree with (1) but not with (2)

Natural Stimulus

in classical conditioning, a stimulus that elicits no response before conditioning

Unconditioned Response

in classical conditioning, an unlearned, naturally occuring response to an unconditioned stimulus

Unconditioned Stimulus

in classical conditioning, a stimulus that unconditionally - naturally and automanically - triggers an unconditioned response.

Conditioned Response

in classical conditioning, a learned response to a previously neutural (but now conditioned) stimulus

Conditioned Stimulus

in classical conditioning, an originally irrelevent stiumulus that, after association with an unconditioned stiumulus, comes to trigger a conditioned respones

Acquisition

in classical conditionin, the initial stage, when one links a NS and an US so that the NS begins triggering the CR. In operant conditioning, the strengthing of a reinforced response

Higher-order conditioning

CS in one conditioning experience is paired with a new NS, creating a second CS

Extinction

diminishing of a CR, occurs when US doesnt follow a CS; occurs in operant conditioning when a response is no longer reinforced

Spontaneous REcovery

the reapperance, after a pause, of an extinguished CR

Generalization

the tendency, once a response has been conditioned, for stimuli similar to the Cs to elicit similar responses

Discrimination

in classical conditioning, the learned ability to distinguish between a CS and stimuli that dont signal an US

Aversive conditioning

conditioning that leads to a negative response

Operant conditioning

a type of learning in which behavior is strengthened if followed by a reinforcer or diminished if followed by a punisher

Law of effect

thorndikes principle that behaviors followed by favorable consequences become most likely, and that bahviors followed by unfavorable consequences become less likely

Operant chamber

in OCR, a chamber containing a bar or key that an animal can manipulate to obtain a food or water reinforcer; attaached devices recoord the animals rate of bar pressing or key pecking

Reinforcement

in OC, any event that strerngthens the behavior it followeds

shaping

an OC procedure in whcih reinforcers guide behvaior towards closer approximations of the desired behaviorD

discriminative stimulus

in OC, a stimulus that elicits a response after assocation with reinforcement