GenPsych Chapter 6

Learning =

a relatively permanent change in behavior or knowledge that results from experience

Associative Learning =

occurs when an organism makes connections between stimuli that occur together in the environment

Habituation =

occurs when repeated or prolonged exposure to stimuli results in reduced responding

Sensitization =

occurs when repeated or prolonged exposure to stimuli results in increased responding

Classical Conditioning =

occurs when the response is elicited by one stimulus comes to be elicited by another stimulus after those two stimuli are repeatedly closely sequentially presented together

Unconditioned Stimulus (US) =

naturally elicits a response

Unconditioned Response (UR) =

the response elicited by the US

Neutral Stimulus (NS) =

a stimulus that doesn’t naturally elicit the response elicited by the US

Conditioned Stimulus (CS) =

after it’s repeatedly presented right before the US, the NS becomes a (CS) which elicits the same response as the US

Acquisition =

initial stage of learning when a new behavior or response is established

Second-order conditioning =

using a conditioned stimulus to condition a neutral stimulus

In what order should the neutral/conditioned stimulus and unconditioned stimulus be presented?

The neutral stimulus should be presented just before the unconditioned stimulus for learning to occur

Extinction =

a decrease in conditioned response after the unconditioned stimulus is no longer presented after the conditioned stimulus

Spontaneous Recovery =

the return of a previously extinguished conditioned response following a rest period

Stimulus Generalization =

demonstrating the conditioned response to stimuli that are similar to the conditioned stimulus

Stimulus Discrimination =

ability to respond differently to similar stimuli

Taste Aversion =

a learned association between a food (conditioned stimulus) and illness (unconditioned response), leading us to become sick in response to tasting or smelling the food (conditioned response)

Law of Effect =

behavior that is followed by consequences satisfying to the organism will be repeated and behaviors that are followed by unpleasant consequences will be discouraged

Operant Conditioning =

occurs when a response’s consequences change the response’s frequency

Reinforcement =

increases a response’s frequency

Reinforcer =

any stimulus that increases a response’s frequency

Primary Reinforcers =

have innate or biologically reinforcing qualities

Secondary Reinforcers =

reinforcing due to their association with a primary reinforcer

Positive Reinforcement =

involves receiving desirable stimulus after a response is emitted 

Negative Reinforcement =

involves removing an undesirable stimulus after a response is emitted

What constitutes an effective reinforcer?

Any stimulus more desirable than the response being reinforced

Punishment =

decreases a response’s frequency

Punisher =

is any stimulus that decreases a response’s frequency

What constitutes an effective punisher?

Any stimulus desirable than the response being punished

When do the consequences of a behavior have the most influence over that behavior’s frequency?

When they occur immediately after the response

What are the two distinctions between classical and operant conditioning mentioned in the lecture?

1. Stimulus-response order

2. Elicited vs. emitted behavior

What’s the three-term contingency?

1. When a discriminative stimulus is present

2. A response

3. Produces a reinforcer 

Discriminative Stimulus =

indicates that a response will be reinforced

How does generalization work in operant conditioning?

After learning a discriminative stimulus signals reinforcement, our response to it may generalize to similar stimuli

Extinction =

if reinforcement stops following a response, the frequency of that response may be reduced

Partial Reinforcement =

a response is reinforced sometimes

Continuous Reinforcement =

a response is reinforced every time

Know that partial reinforcement produces extinction-resistant behavior, and know why it does that.

• When reinforcement is delivered sometimes it becomes difficult to determine whether the extinction is occurring (slot machines) 

• When reinforcement is delivered every time, not being reinforced just a few times clearly signal extinction (vending machines)

Ratio Schedule =

involve reinforcing responding based on the number of times a response is emitted

Fixed Ration Schedule (FR) =

a response is reinforced after a specific number of emissions

Variable Ratio Schedule (VR) =

a resposne is reinforced after a random number of emissions

Interval Schedules =

involve reinforcing responding based on the amount of time that’s passed since the last time the response was reinforced

Fixed Interval Schedules (FI) =

response is reinforced after a fixed amount of time has passed since the last time it was reinforced

Variable Interval Schedule (VI) =

a response is reinforced after a random amount of time has passed since the last time it was reinforced

What response pattern does the Variable Ratio Schedule (VR) produce?

high and steady response rate

What response pattern does the Fixed Ratio Schedule (FR) produce?

high rate with short pauses

What response pattern does the Variable Interval Schedule (VI) produce?

moderate and steady response rate

What response pattern does the Fixed Interval Schedule (FI) produce?

scallop-shaped pattern

Shaping =

involves reinforcing successive approximations for a desired behavior

Latent Learning =

learning that occurs, but it may not be evident until there is a reason to demonstrate it

Observational Learning =

learning by watching others and then imitating their behavior

3 Types of Models in Observational Learning

1. Live Models

2. Verbal Models

3. Symbolic Models

Vicarious Reinforcement =

process where the observer sees the model rewarded, making the observer more likely to imitate the model’s behavior

Vicarious Punishment =

process where the observer sees the model punished, making the observer less likely to imitate the model’s behavior