Unit 4 Test Review

Impact of Punishment

punishment decreases behavior but can cause fear

Shaping

gradually guiding behavior toward a desired behavior by reinforcing small steps (successive approximations)

Mirror Neurons

frontal-lobe neurons that fire when performing an action or watching someone else do it

Generalization

when similar stimuli to the conditioned stimulus trigger the conditioned response

Robert Rescorla and Allan Wagner experiments

showed that conditioning involves prediction and expectation

Law of Effect

Thorndike’s principle stating behaviors followed by rewards increase and behaviors followed by negative outcomes decrease

Conditioned Response

the learned response to a previously neutral but now conditioned stimulus

Variable Ratio

reinforcement after an unpredictable number of responses

Scheduled Reinforcement

any plan that determines how and when behaviors will be reinforced

Fixed Ratio

reinforcement after a set number of responses

Positive Reinforcement

adding something desirable to increase a behavior

Negative Reinforcement

removing something unpleasant to increase a behavior

Delayed Reinforcement

reinforcement that occurs after a time delay

Primary Reinforcement

reinforcement that satisfies a biological need like food

Conditioned Reinforcement

learned reinforcement that gains power through association with primary reinforcers

Taste Aversion

biological learning where an organism avoids a food after pairing its taste with illness

Fixed Interval

reinforcement of the first response after a set amount of time has passed

Variable Interval

reinforcement at unpredictable time intervals

Continuous

reinforcement given every time a behavior occurs

Spontaneous Recovery

the reappearance of a weakened conditioned response after a pause

Extinction

the diminishing of a conditioned response when the conditioned stimulus is no longer paired with the unconditioned stimulus

Discrimination

the learned ability to distinguish between the conditioned stimulus and similar stimuli

Acquisition

the initial stage of learning where the neutral stimulus becomes associated with the unconditioned stimulus

Latent Learning

learning that occurs but is not shown until there is motivation to demonstrate it

Operant Conditioning

learning in which behavior is strengthened or weakened through rewards and punishments

Cognitive

a learning perspective emphasizing thinking

Biological

a learning perspective emphasizing genetic predispositions and biological limits on learning

Behavior

the view that learning is shaped by observable behavior changes through conditioning

Evolutionary

the view that learning is influenced by inherited survival-based tendencies

Humanistic

a perspective focused on personal growth

Unconditioned Response

an automatic response to a known stimulus

Unconditioned Stimulus

a stimulus that naturally and automatically triggers a response

Neutral Stimulus

a stimulus that produces no automatic response before conditioning

Conditioned Stimulus

a previously neutral stimulus that now elicits a response

Spontaneous

occurring naturally without reinforcement or planning