AP Psych Unit 3 Vocab

operant conditioning

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

law of effect

thorndike’s principle that behaviors followed by favorable consequences become more likely, and behaviors that followed unfavorable consequences become less likely.

operant chamber

in operant conditioning research, a chamber containing a bar/key the animal can manipulate to obtain a food/water reinforcer.

reinforcement

in operant conditioning, any event that strengthens the behavior it follows.

shaping

an operant conditioning procedure in which reinforcers guide behavior toward closer and closer approximations of the desired behavior.

discriminative stimulus

in operant conditioning, a stimulus that elicits a response after association with reinforcement (in contrast to related stimuli not associated with reinforcement)

positive reinforcement

increasing behaviors by presenting a pleasurable stimulus.

negative reinforcement

increasing behaviors by stopping or reducing an aversive stimulus.

primary reinforcer

an innately reinforcing stimulus, such as one that satisfies a biological need.

conditioned reinforcer

a stimulus that gains its reinforcing power through its association with a primary reinforcer (secondary reformer)

reinforcement schedule

a pattern that defines how often a desired response will be reinforced.

continuous reinforcement schedule

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.

fixed ratio schedule

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

variable-ratio schedule

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

fixed-interval schedule

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

variable interval schedule

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.

learning

the process of acquiring thoughts through experience and relatively enduring information or behaviors

habituation

decreasing responsiveness with repeated stimulation

associative learning

learning that certain events occur together.

respondent behavior

behavior that occurs as an automatic response to some stimulus

operant behavior

behavior that operates on the environment, producing a consequence.

cognitive learning

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

classical conditioning

a type of learning where we link two or more stimuli

behaviorism

the view that psychology should be an objective science that studies behavior without reference to mental processes.

neutral stimulus (NS)

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

unconditioned response (UCR)

in classical conditioning, an unlearned, naturally occurring response to an unconditioned stimulus.

unconditioned stimulus (UCS)

in classical conditioning, a stimulus that unconditionally, and naturally/automatically triggers an unconditioned response

conditioned response (CR)

in classical conditioning, a learned response to a previously neutral (now conditioned) stimulus.

conditioned stimulus (CS)

in classical conditioning, an originally neutral stimulus that after association with an unconditioned stimulus, comes to trigger a conditioned response.

acquisiton

in classical conditioning, the initial stage where one links a neutral and unconditioned stimulus so the neutral stimulus begins triggering a conditioned response.

higher-order conditioning

procedure where the conditioned stimulus is paired with a new neutral stimulus, making a second conditioned stimulus.

extinction

the diminishing of a conditioned response when an unconditioned stimulus doesn’t follow conditioned stimulus.

spontaneous recovery

the reappearance, after a pause, of a weakened condition response

generalization

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

discrimination

the learned ability to distinguish between conditioned stimulus and other stimuli that haven’t been associated with a conditioned stimulus.

preparedness

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

stimulus

any event or situation that evokes a response