Psychology In Your Life Chapter 6

Learning

A change in behavior, resulting from experience. (Page 195)

Habituation

A decrease in behavioral response after lengthy or repeated exposure to a stimulus. (Page 195)

Sensitization

An increase in behavioral response after lengthy or repeated exposure to a stimulus. (Page 196)

Non-Associative Learning

Learning about a stimulus, such as a sight or a sound, in the external world. (Page 196)

Associative Learning

Learning the relationship between two pieces of information. (Page 196)

Watching Others Learning

Learning by watching how others behave. (Page 196)

Long-term Potentation

Enhanced activity that results from the strengthening of synaptic connections between neurons. (Page 197)

Classical Conditioning

A type of learned response in which a neutral object comes to elicit a response when it is associated with a stimulus that already produces a response. (Page 198)

Unconditional Stimulus (UC)

A stimulus that elicits a response that is innate and does not require any prior learning. (Page 199)

Unconditional Response (UR)

A response that does not have to be learned, such as a reflex. (Page 199)

Conditioned Stimulus (CS)

A stimulus that elicits a response only after learning has taken place. (Page 199)

Conditioned Response (CR)

A response to a conditioned stimulus, a response that has been learned. (Page 199)

Acquisition

The gradual formation of an association between conditioned and unconditioned stimuli. (Page 201)

Extinction

A process in which the conditioned response is weakened when the conditioned stimulus is repeated without the unconditional stimulus. (Page 202)

Spontaneous Recovery

A process in which a previously extinguished response reemerges after the conditioned stimulus is presented again. (Page 203)

Stimulus Generalization

Learning that occurs when the stimuli that are similar but not identical to the conditioned stimulus produce the conditioned response. (Page 203)

Stimulus Discrimination

A differentiation between two similar stimuli when only one of them is consistently associated with the unconditioned stimulus. (Page 203)

Law of Effect

Thorndike; any behavior that leads to a "satisfying starting affairs" is likely to occur again. Any behavior that leads to an "annoying state of affairs" is less likely to occur again. (Page 209)

Shaping

Reinforcing behaviors that are increasingly similar to the desired behavior. (Page 210)

Operant Conditioning

A learning process in which the consequences of an action determine the likelihood that the action will be performed in the future. (Page 208)

Positive Reinforcement

The addition of stimulus to increase the probability that a behavior will be repeated. (Page 212)

Negative Reinforcement

The removal of a stimulus to increase the probability that a behavior will be repeated. (Page 212)

Positive Punishment

The addition of a stimulus to decrease the probability that a behavior will recur. (Page 212)

Negative Punishment

The removal of a stimulus to decrease the probability that a behavior will recur. (Page 212)

Fixed Interval Schedule (FI)

Reinforcing the occurrence of a particular behavior after a predetermined amount of time since the last reward. (Page 214)

Variable Interval Schedule (VI)

Reinforcing the occurrence of a particular behavior after an unpredictable and varying amount of time since the last reward. (Page 214)

Fixed Ratio Schedule (FR)

Reinforcing a particular behavior after that behavior has occurred a predetermined number of times. (Page 214)

Variable Ratio Schedule (VR)

Reinforcing a particular behavior after the behavior has occurred an unpredictable and varying number of times. (Page 214)

Partial-reinforcement Extinction Effect

The greater persistence of behavior under partial reinforcement than under continuous reinforcement. (Page 214)

Cognitive Map

A visuouspatial mental representation of an environment. (Page 219)

Latent Learning

Learning that takes place in the absence of reinforcement. (Page 219)

Insight Learning

A sudden understanding of how to solve a problem after a period of either inaction or thinking about the problem. (Page 220)

Observational Learning

The acquisition or modification of a behavior after exposure to at least one performance of that behavior. (Page 221)

Modeling

The imitation of behavior through observational learning. (Page 222)

Vicarious Conditioning

Learning the consequences of an action by watching others being rewarded or punished for performing the action. (Page 223)

Memes

Each piece of knowledge about a culture that can be shared, such as knowing it is a bad idea to text while driving. (Page 223)