Classical Conditioning

Habituation

an organism's decreasing response to a stimulus with repeated exposure to it

Associative Learning

learning that certain events occur together. The events may be two stimuli (as in classical conditioning) or a response and its consequences (as in operant conditioning).

Cognitive Learning

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

Behaviorism

the science of behavior that focuses on observable behavior only

Acquisition

In classical conditioning, the initial stage, when one links a neutral stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus so that the neutral stimulus begins triggering the conditioned response.

Higher Order Conditioning

occurs when a strong conditioned stimulus is paired with a neutral stimulus, causing the neutral stimulus to become a second conditioned stimulus

Spontaneous Recovery

the reappearance, after a pause, of an extinguished conditioned response

Learning

the process of acquiring new and relatively enduring information or behaviors

Stimulus

a signal to which an organism responds

Classical Conditioning

a learning process that occurs when two stimuli are repeatedly paired; a response that is at first elicited by the second stimulus is eventually elicited by the first stimulus alone.

Neutral Stimulus

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

Unconditioned Response

In classical conditioning, the unlearned, naturally occurring response to the unconditioned stimulus (US), such as salivation when food is in the mouth.

Unconditioned Stimulus

Something that reliably produces a naturally occurring reaction in an organism (i.e. the food)

Conditioned Response

In classical conditioning, the learned response to a previously neutral (but now conditioned) stimulus (CS)

Conditioned Stimulus

A previously neutral stimulus that has, through conditioning, acquired the capacity to evoke a conditioned response.

Generalization

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

Discrimination

in classical conditioning, the learned ability to distinguish between a conditioned stimulus and stimuli that do not signal an unconditioned stimulus (i.e. responding to a whistle but not a bell)