Ap Psych - Learning Vocab

Classical Conditioning

Learning to elicit an involuntary, reflex-like response to a stimulus other than the original, natural stimulus that produces the response.

Conditioned Response (CR)

Essentially the same as the unconditioned response, but comes as a learned response to the conditioned stimulus.

Conditioned Stimulus (CS)

A previously neutral stimulus that begins to cause an involuntary response after repeated pairings with the unconditioned stimulus.

Unconditioned Response (UCR)

The automatic and involuntary response to the unconditioned stimulus.

Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS)

The original, naturally occurring stimulus.

Neutral Stimulus

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

Observational Learning

The learning of new behavior through watching the actions of a model.

Operant Conditioning

The type of learning that applies to voluntary behavior.

Shaping

Small steps toward some ultimate goal are reinforced until the goal itself is reached.

Spontaneous Recovery

The conditioned response can briefly reappear when the original conditioned stimulus returns, although the response is usually brief and short lived.

Stimulus discrimination

Occurs when an organism learns to respond to different stimuli in different ways.

Stimulus Generalization

The tendency to respond to a stimulus that is similar to the original conditioned stimulus.

Learning

Any relatively permanent change in behavior brought about by experience or practice.

Negative Reinforcement

Following a response with the removal or escape from something unpleasant. This will increase the likelihood of the response being repeated.

Positive Reinforcement

The reinforcement of a response by the addition or experience of a pleasurable consequence.

Punishment

Any event or stimulus that, when following a response causes that response to be less likely to happen again.

Secondary Reinforcers

Gets its reinforcing properties from being associated with primary reinforcers in the past.
*Ex: money

Extinction (classical conditioning)

When the conditioned stimulus is repeatedly presented in the absence of the unconditioned stimulus, the conditioned stimulus will eventually "die out".

Learned helplessness

The tendency to fail to act to escape from a situation because of a history of repeated failures in the past.

Primary reinforcers

A reinforcer that fulfills a basic need like hunger, thirst, or touch.

Fixed Ratio Schedule

The same number of responses is required for each reinforcer in each case.

Law of Effect

If an action is followed by a pleasurable consequence, it will tend to be repeated. If an action is followed by an unpleasurable consequence, it will tend not to be repeated.

Variable Interval Schedule

The interval of time after which the individual must respond in order to receive a reinforcer changes from one time to the next.

Variable Ratio Schedule

A different number of responses is required for each reinforcer in each case.

Fixed Interval Schedule

A reinforcer is received after a certain, fixed interval of time has passed.

Partial Reinforcement

reinforcing a response only part of the time; results in slower acquisition of a response but much greater resistance to extinction than does continuous reinforcement

Conditioned Taste Aversion

nausea or illness after eating a certain food will make you less likely to eat that food again

Continuous Reinforcement

A reinforcer for each and every correct response.

Higher Order Conditioning

Occurs when a strong conditioned stimulus is paired with a neutral stimulus. The strong conditioned stimulus can actually play the part of an unconditioned stimulus and the previously neutral stimulus becomes a second conditioned stimulus.

Behavior Modification

Refers to the application of operant conditioning (and sometimes classical conditioning) to bring about changes in behavior.

Conditioned Emotional Response

Any negative emotional response, typically fear or anxiety, that becomes associated with a neutral stimulus as a result of classical conditioning.

Vicarious Conditioning

Becoming classically conditioned by simply watching someone else respond to a stimulus.

Extinction (operant conditioning)

A process by which a response that has been learned is weakened by the absence or removal of reinforcement.

Latent Learning

The idea that learning could happen without reinforcement, and then later affect behavior.

Cognitive Map

a mental representation, or picture, of the environment

Discriminative Stimulus

Any stimulus that provides an organism with a cue for making a certain response in order to obtain reinforcement.

Schedule of Reinforcement

set of rules for when you should present your reward or punishment

Cognitive Learning Theory

explains how internal and external factors influence an individual's mental processes to supplement learning

Insight/Insight learning

A rapid "perception of relationships" or an "aha" moment.

Applied Behavior Analysis

The modern term for a form of behavior modification that uses both analysis of current behavior and behavioral techniques to address a certain issue.

Biofeedback

Use of feedback about biological conditions to bring involuntary responses such as blood pressure under voluntary control.

Neurofeedback

Form of biofeedback using devices (EEG, MRI) to provide feedback about brain activity in an effort to modify behavior.

Albert Bandura

Researcher famous for work in observational learning including the famous Bobo doll experiment.

Ivan Pavlov

discovered classical conditioning; trained dogs to salivate at the ringing of a bell

B. F. Skinner

American psychologist who championed behaviorism and studied operant conditioning

Edward Thorndike

Developed the law of effect.

Edward Tolman

coined the term cognitive map, which is an internal representation (or image) of an external environmental features or landmarks. He thought that individuals acquire large numbers of cues (i.e. signals) from the environment and could use these to build a mental image of an environment (i.e. a cognitive map).

John B. Watson

conducted a study in which a baby was classically conditioned to fear a white rat. This experiment was a demonstration of the classical conditioning of a phobia.

Robert Rescorla

discovered that in order for conditioning to take place, the conditioned stimulus must provide predictive information about the unconditioned stimulus

Wolfgang Kohler

A psychologist who did studies in animal learning. Discovered insight during his research of Sultan the Chimp.