ap psych unit 3 vocab

behavioral perspective

psychological approach that emphasizes the role of learning & conditioning in shaping human behavior through interactions

classical conditioning

learning where a neutral stimulus comes to bring about a response after it is paired with a stimulus that naturally brings out a response

association

process of linking two ideas/events together & how that can trigger an response

acquisition

initial stage in classical conditioning when ur pairing a neutral stimulus w/ an unconditional stimulus repetitively until the subject associates them

associative learning

learning that occurs by linking two events, actions, or stimulus together

unconditioned stimulus (ucs)

a stimulus that naturally & automatically triggers a response w/o prior learning

unconditioned response (ur)

the natural, unlearned (automatic) response to an ucs

conditioned response (cr)

learned response to a previously neutral stimulus

conditioned stimulus (cs)

originally irrelevant stimulus that after association w/ an ucs comes to trigger a conditioned response

extinction

weakening of a conditioned response when an unconditioned stimulus no longer follows the conditioned stimulus

spontaneous recovery

reappearance of a conditioned response after a rest period

stimulus discrimination

learned ability to distinguish between a conditioned stimulus and other stimuli (that doesn't signal a conditioned response)

stimulus generalization

tendency to respond to a stimuli similar to the conditioned stimulus

higher-order conditioning

when a new stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus by being paired w/ an already conditioned stimulus

counterconditioning

teaches patients to respond in a relaxed manner to the conditioned stimulus to eventually extinct the conditioned response

taste aversion

developing a strong dislike for taste/smell/sight after a bad experience & is unlikely to expose themselves to it again

one-trial conditioning

one exposure to the aversive stimulus being enough to end the behavior forever

biological preparedness

the idea that people & animals are inherently inclined to form associations between stimuli & responses

one-trial learning

learning that occurs after only one exposure to a stimulus

habituation

tendency to have decreased responsiveness to something

operant conditioning

forms association between behaviors and resulting events

reinforcement

a process that increases the likeihood of a behavior by giving a pleasant stimulus or removing unpleasant stimulus

punishment

anything that decreases the likeihood of a behavior being repeated

law of effect

behaviors followed by favorable consequences become more likely while negative outcomes becomes less

positive reinforcement

increase in response/strengthening a behavior by adding or giving a positive stimulus

negative reinforcement

increase in response/strengthening a behavior by removing a negative stimulus

primary reinforcers

innately reinforcing stimulus that usually satisfy some biological needs like food

secondary reinforcers

learned reinforcer, gets its reinforcing power through its association w/ primary reinforcers

reinforcement discrimination

learning to respond only to the specific cues that will lead to reinforcement

reinforcement generalization

the tendency to respond to stimuli similar to the original stimulus that was reinforced

shaping

procedure in which reinforcers guide behavior closer towards target behavior through successive approximations

instinctive drift

when a species reverts back to unconscious/automatic behavior counter to attempts @ operant conditioning (instead of learned ones)

superstitious behavior

the behavior that results from accidental reinforcement of an action so that the organism continues to repeat it

learned helplessness

state where one gives up trying to change a situation after repeated failure

reinforcement schedules

rules that determine how & when reinforcement will be delivered

continuous reinforcement

reinforcing the desired response every time it occurs

partial reinforcement

reinforcing a response only part of the time, makes the learned behavior more likely to extinct

fixed interval

amount of time desired behavior is performed then a reward is give after/reinforces a response after a specific time has elapsed

variable interval

reinforces a response @ unpredictable time intervals, produces slow steady responding

fixed ratio

reinforces a response only after a specified number of responses

variable ratio

reinforces a response after an unpredictable number of responses

scalloped graph

graph showing the pattern of responses over time in a fixed interval reinforcement schedule, characterized by a gradual increase in response rate just before reinforcement.

social learning theory

the theory that we learn social behavior by observing and imitating and by being rewarded or punished

vicarious conditioning

when a subject is exposed to someone else's fear/reactions & then internalizes those feelings, actions for themselves

modeling

the process of observing & imitating a specific behavior

insight learning

sudden realization of a problem's solution

latent learning

learning that occurs but is not apparent until there is an incentive to demonstrate it

cognitive maps

a mental representation of the layout of one's environment