Learning, Behaviorism, and Conditioning

These flashcards cover key terms and concepts related to learning, behaviorism, and conditioning as discussed in the lecture notes.

Learning

Relatively permanent change in behavior or knowledge due to experience.

Behaviorism

An approach emphasizing the study of observable behavior and the role of the environment as a determinant of behavior.

Classical Conditioning

Association between two stimuli where a previously neutral stimulus acquires the capacity to elicit a response through association.

Operant Conditioning

Association between behavior and consequence.

Observational Learning

Learning by watching others and then imitating or modeling what they do or say.

Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS)

A stimulus that naturally brings about a particular response without having been learned.

Unconditioned Response (UCR)

A reflexive response to the UCS that is natural and needs no training.

Conditioned Stimulus (CS)

A once-neutral stimulus that has been paired with an unconditioned stimulus to bring about a response formerly caused only by the unconditioned stimulus.

Conditioned Response (CR)

The response that, after conditioning, follows the conditioned stimulus.

Acquisition

Learning of the association between CS and US; requires the CS to be a reliable predictor of the US.

Extinction

The weakening and eventual disappearance of a learned response when the CS is no longer paired with the US.

Spontaneous Recovery

The reappearance of a learned response after a period of extinction.

Stimulus Generalization

The tendency to respond to a stimulus that resembles a CS, eliciting the CR.

Stimulus Discrimination

Responding differently to two or more similar stimuli where a stimulus similar to the CS fails to evoke a CR.

Higher-Order Conditioning

A neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus by being paired with an already established conditioned stimulus.