General Psychology I: Psychology 1011 -> Chapters 6-8

Learning

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

Classical Conditioning

Behavior is acquired (learned) by a process of associations.

Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS)

Anything that consistently, automatically, causes an unconditioned (automatic) response.

Unconditioned Response (UCR)

The automatic response caused by the UCS.

Conditioned Stimulus (CS)

A neutral stimulus that begins to cause a response after being paired with the UCS.

Neutral Stimulus (NS)

Any stimulus that does not produce a conditioned response prior to learning.

Conditioned Response (CR)

The response the CS begins to cause.

Acquisition

Repeated presentations of the NS and the UCS; process of acquiring learning.

Stimulus Generalization

The extension of a learned response to stimuli that are similar to the CS.

Stimulus Discrimination

Learning to respond to a particular stimulus but not to similar stimuli.

Extinction

Weakening of a conditioned response in the absence of an unconditioned stimulus.

Spontaneous Recover

Reappearance of a learned response after extinction has occurred.

Higher-order Conditioning

After a CS comes to elicit a CR, the CS can now be paired with a new neutral stimulus and this second neutral stimulus will start to elicit a CR.

Vicarious Conditioning

Classical conditioning of a reflex response or emotion by watching the reaction of another person.

Acquisitons

Repeated presentation of the NS and UCS; process of acquiring learning.

Operant Conditioning

Behavior learned and modified in response to the consequences of the behavior (reinforcement and punishment).

Operant

Any behavior that is voluntary.

Reinforcement

Increases the likehood of a behavior being repeated (good or bad behavior).

Positive Reinforcement

Something good is added as a consequence of performing the behavior.

Negative Reinforcement

Something bad is taken away as a consequence of performing the behavior.

Punishment

Decreases the likehood of a behavior being repeated.

Positive Punishment

Something bad is added as a consequence of performing the behavior.

Negative Punishment

Something good is taken away as a consequence of performing the behavior.

Partial Reinforcement

Reinforcement schedule in which some, but not all, correct responses are reinforced.

Continuous Reinforcement

Reinforcement schedule in which all correct responses are reinforced.

Fixed Ratio (FR)

Provides a reinforcement only after a certain (fixed) number of responses.

Variable Ratio (VR)

Reinforcement is provided after a variable number of responses.

Fixed Interval (FI)

Provides reinforcement after a specific time interval.

Variable Interval (VI)

Provides reinforcement after a variable amount of time has elapsed.

Shaping

Reinforcing successive approximations towards a targeted behavior.

Token Economy

Reward positive behavior with tokens that can later be exchanged for desired goods or priviliges.

Extinction (in operant conditioning)

Removing the reinforcer that have been maintaining the behavior.

Observational Learning

Learning new behavior by watching a model perform that behavior. Behavior can be desirable or not desirable.

Memory

An active system that receives information from the senses, organizes and alters that information as it stores it away, and then retrieves the information from storage.

Storage

Retention of information for some period of time.

Retrival

Recovery of information from your memory.

Sensory Memory

The first stage of memory. A very brief representation of all the stimuli present at a particular moment.

Iconic Memory

Visual sensory memory, lasting only a fraction of a second.

Eidetic Imagery

The (rare) ability to access a visual memory for thirty seconds or more, similar to the idea of photographic memory.

Short-Term Memory (STM; Working Memory)

The memory system in which information is held for brief periods of time while being used.

Duration

STM lasts from about 12 to 30 seconds without rehearsal. STM is susceptible to interference.

Selective Attention

Ability to focus on only one stimulus from among all sensory input.

Chunking

Bits of information are combined into meaningful units, or chunks, so that more information can be held in STM.

Maintenance Rehearsal

Repeating information to be remembered over and over in one's head in order to maintain it in STM.

Long-Term Memory (LTM)

The portion of memory that is more or less permanent. Unlimited capacity and duration of mostly meaningful information.

Elaborative Rehearsal

A method of transferring information from STM into LTM by making that information meaningful in some way.

Procedural Memory

The memory of how to do something.

Episodic Memory

Stores personal events, or "episodes."

Semantic Memory

Stores in general knowledge, including meanings of words and concepts.

Retrieval Cues

Reminders or hints that help us to retrieve information from long-term memory.

Recall

Retrieval method in which one must reproduce previously presented information.

Recognition

Retrieval method in which one must identify present stimuli as having been previously presented.

Serial Position Effect

Information at beginning and end of a body of information more accurately remembered than information in a middle.

Flashbulb Memory

An extremely stressful or emotionally arousing personal or historical events that leave a vivid, lasting, and highly detailed memory.

Misinformation Effect

Tendency of misleading information presented after an event to alter the memories of the event itself.

False Memory Syndrome

Creation of inaccurate or false memories through the suggestion of others, often while the person is under hypnosis.

Retrograde Amnesia

Loss of memory from the point of some injury or trauma backwards, or loss of memory for the past.

Anterograde Amnesia

Loss of memory from the point of injury or trauma forward, or the inability to form new long-term memories.