Psychology Unit 3 Chapter 12

12/18

Ivan Pavlov

studied digestion in dogs and is best known for his research on classical conditioning, demonstrating how dogs can learn to associate a neutral stimulus with food, leading to salivation.

classical conditional

a learning process that occurs when two stimuli are repeatedly paired, resulting in a conditioned response to a previously neutral stimulus.

unconditioned stimulus (US)

somethin that elicits a natural reflex response (food)

unconditioned response (UR)

the natural reaction to the unconditioned stimulus (salivating to food)

conditioned response (CR)

the learned response to a previously neutral stimulus after conditioning occurs.

bell → salivation

conditioned stimulus (CS)

a previously neutral stimulus that, after conditioning, elicits a conditioned response (bell).

acquisition

the process of learning the association between the conditioned stimulus and the unconditioned stimulus, leading to the development of the conditioned response.

delayed conditioning

most effective in acquisition:

present CS, and while it’s still evident the US is presnted

Trace conditioning

involves presenting the CS, then removing it before the US is presented, creating a time gap.

Simultaneous conditioning

occurs when the conditioned stimulus and unconditioned stimulus are presented at the same time, leading to the formation of a direct association.

backward conditioning

involves presenting the unconditioned stimulus before the conditioned stimulus, leading to a weaker conditioning effect.

extinction

unlearning

a conditioned response due to repeated presentation of the conditioned stimulus without the unconditioned stimulus.

spontaneous recovery

the reappearance of a conditioned response after a pause, following extinction.

generalization

the tendency for the conditioned response to be elicited by stimuli similar to the conditioned stimulus.

discrimination

the ability to distinguish between different stimuli, responding only to the conditioned stimulus and not to similar stimuli.

second-order conditioning

a form of conditioning in which a conditioned stimulus is paired with a new stimulus, creating a second conditioned stimulus.

taste aversion

a learned avoidance of a particular food or drink that occurs after a single negative experience with it, often involving nausea.

biological preparedness

the inherent predisposition of an organism to develop certain associations more easily than others, typically related to survival.

ex: associate nausea with drink or food

John Garcia and Rober Koelling

psychologists known for their research on taste aversion conditioning, demonstrating that organisms can learn to associate illness with specific tastes.

rats with noise, shock, radiation, and sweet water

operant conditioning

a learning process through which the strength of a behavior is modified by reinforcement or punishment.

law of effect

The principle that behaviors followed by satisfying outcomes are likely to be repeated, while those followed by unpleasant outcomes are less likely to occur.

reinforcement

a consequence that increases the likelihood of a behavior being repeated.

positive reinforcement

addition of something pleasant

negative reinforcement

removal of something unpleasant

punishment

anything that makes a behavior less likely

positive punishment

adds something negative

negative punishment (omission trainging)

removes something pleasant

shaping

a reinforcement strategy that guides behavior toward a desired goal by rewarding successive approximations of the target behavior.

like rewarding everything step inching closer to the behavior

chaining

a behavioral training technique that involves linking together a series of related behaviors, where each step serves as a cue for the next until the final desired behavior is achieved.

primary reinforcers

reinforcers that satisfy basic biological needs, such as food and water.

secondary reinforcers

reinforcers that acquire their value through association with primary reinforcers, such as money or praise.

ex: video game

general reinforcer

a reinforcer that does not satisfy a specific biological need but may still have value, often derived from social approval or recognition.
MONEY, traded virtually for anything

continuous reinforcement

a reinforcement schedule where every occurrence of a desired behavior is reinforced, leading to rapid acquisition of the behavior.

partial-reinforcement effect

The phenomenon where behaviors reinforced intermittently are more resistant to extinction than those reinforced continuously, often resulting in increased persistence of the behavior.

fixed-ratio schedule

A reinforcement schedule that provides a reward after a set number of responses, leading to a high response rate. For example, a reward after every fifth behavior.

variable-ratio schedule

A reinforcement schedule that provides rewards after an unpredictable number of responses, which leads to high and steady response rates and creates a strong resistance to extinction.

fixed-interval schedule

A reinforcement schedule that delivers rewards after a specific amount of time has passed, leading to a pattern of responses that may increase as the time for reward approaches.

variable-interval schedule

A reinforcement schedule that provides rewards after varying amounts of time, resulting in a slow, steady rate of responses and higher resistance to extinction.

instinctive drift

the tendency for an animal to revert to instinctive behaviors that interfere with learning when reinforced. This phenomenon highlights the limitations of conditioning in shaping behavior.

modeling/vicarious learning

A learning process where individuals learn behaviors by observing and imitating others, particularly when reinforcements or punishments are observed.

social learning theory

A theory that posits that people learn behaviors through observation, imitation, and modeling, emphasizing the importance of social influences and cognitive processes.

albert bandura

latent learning

A type of learning that occurs without any obvious reinforcement or reward, where knowledge is acquired but not immediately reflected in behavior until an incentive is presented.

cognitive map

A mental representation of one's physical environment that allows for navigation and understanding of spatial relationships.

abstract learning

understanding abstract concepts rather than to press a bar or peck a disk

insight learning

A form of problem-solving that occurs through a sudden realization of a solution, rather than through trial-and-error.

albert bandura

A psychologist known for his social learning theory, which emphasizes the role of observational learning, imitation, and modeling in behavior.

children exposed to aggressive model imitated the model’s behavior

edward tolman

latent learning

rats that ran a maze repeatedly evidenced dramatic improvement following the introduction of a reward

wolfgang kohler

insight learning

chimpanzees solved problems suddenly rather than gradually