Behavioral Learning Concepts

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and definitions from the lecture notes on learning and behavior.

Classical Conditioning

Associating an involuntary response with a stimulus.

Operant Conditioning

Associating a voluntary behavior with a consequence.

Innate Behavior

Behavior based on genetics or epigenetics.

Reflex

An involuntary response to a stimulus.

Imprinting

A type of instinctive learning that forms a bond between parent and offspring.

Critical Period

The specific time period during which imprinting must occur.

Habituation

Diminishing reflexive response due to continued exposure to the same stimulus.

Sensitization

An increased response to a harmless stimulus when paired with a noxious stimulus.

Fixed Action Pattern

A type of innate behavior that is performed in the same way each time.

Complex Behavior

Behaviors that combine both learned and innate components.

Neural Pathway

The route through which signals travel in the nervous system, influenced by learning.

Animal Cognition

Mental functions in animals including perception, thinking, and memory.

Behavioral Isolation

A form of reproductive isolation based on differences in behavior.

Stereotypic Behavior

Behavior that is performed in the same way every time by an individual.

Consummate Behavior

Fully developed or expressed behavior at the first performance.

Intrinsic Behavior

Behavior that is present in animals raised in isolation.

Extrinsic Behavior

Behavior that is absent in animals raised in isolation.

Progressive Behavior

Behavior that can improve or refine through practice.

Heritable

Behavior encoded in DNA and passed from one generation to the next.