Chapter 2 and 3 Key Terms (Behavioral Psychology)

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms from Chapters 2 and 3.

Abolishing operation

process which decreases the effectiveness of some stimulus or event to function as a reinforcer

Appetitive stimulus

a preferable event or stimulus which an organism will regularly seek out

Aversive stimulus

an event or stimulus which an organism will regularly avoid

Baseline

the normal frequency or measured dimension of behavior prior to an intervention

Changing-criterion design

a type of single-subject design in which the effect of the treatment is demonstrated by how closely the behavior matches to a predetermined, systematically altered criterion value

Comparative design

a type of group design in which different species constitute one of the independent variables

Contingency

a predictive relationship between two events such that the occurrence of one event predicts the probable occurrence of the other

Control group design

a type of group design in which subjects are assigned to either an experimental group which receives the intervention or to a control group that does not receive the intervention

Covert behavior

behavior that can only be observed or measured by one person, the individual engaging in the behavior; often called private behavior, these include thoughts, feelings, and perceptions

Cumulative recorder

a device that records the total number of responses over time and provides a graphic depiction of the rate of response

Dependent variable

the aspect of the environment that is not manipulated but is observed and measured; the effect of the independent variable can be shown through dependent variable changes

Descriptive research

research that focuses on describing the behavior and the circumstances under which it occurs and other relevant variables

Duration

the total amount of time that an individual repeatedly or continuously engages in a behavior

Establishing operation

a process that increases the effectiveness of some stimulus to function as a reinforcer

Experimental research

research in which one or more independent variables are systematically varied to determine their effect on a dependent variable

Factorial design

a type of group design in which researchers examine the effects of two or more independent variables (or factors) across groups of subjects

Functional relationship

the relationship in which changes in the independent variable regularly precede subsequent changes in the dependent variable

Group design

a type of experimental research method where one or more independent variables are manipulated across groups of subjects to determine the possible effects

Independent variable

the aspect of the environment which researchers manipulate or systematically vary across different conditions of an experiment

Intensit

the force or magnitude of a behavior

Interobserver reliability

the extent to which two or more independent observers agree on the occurrence or nonoccurrence of a behavior

Interval recording

a measurement procedure where the period of observation is segmented into intervals and observers record whether the behavior occurs or not during series of intervals

Latency

the length of time it takes for a behavior to begin

Motivating operation

a process that either increases or decreases the ability of a stimulus or event to function as a reinforcer

Multiple-baseline design

a type of single-subject design where the intervention is implemented at successive points in time across two or more subjects, settings, or behaviors

Naturalistic observation

a descriptive research approach that involves the systematic observation and recording of behavior in its natural environment

Overt behavior

behavior that can be potentially observed by an individual other than the one engaging in the behavior; often called observable or public behavior

Quasi-independent variable

a variable that is inseparable from the individual and as result cannot be manipulated but can be used in group level statistical comparisons; includes variables such as ethnicity or diagnoses

Rate of response

the number of responses that occur per certain unit of time; e.g., four instances of biting per hour, ninety keystrokes per minute

Response

one instance or unit of behavior

Reversal design

a type of single-subject design that involves repeated alternations between a baseline period and intervention

Simple comparison (AB) design

a single-subject research design where baseline is compared to intervention with no reversal phase or return to baseline

Single-subject design

research designs where the subject serves as both the experimental and the control; also referred to as single case or small-n research as typically a smaller number of subjects are required

Spatial contiguity

the extent to which events are situated close to each other in space

Speed

the length of time required to perform a behavior from start to finish; indicates how fast or slow a behavior is occurring

Stimulus

any person, object, or event in the environment that can potentially influence behavior; plural form is stimuli

Temporal contiguity

the extent to which events occur close together in time

Time-sample recording

the measurement of whether a behavior occurs within a series of discontinuous intervals; the number of times the behavior occurs within an interval is irrelevant

Topography

the physical form of a behavior or what it looks like to observers

Variable

a characteristic of a person, place, or thing that can change over time or from one situation to another; can be measured or observed in some way

Appetitive conditioning

conditioning procedure in which the US is an appetitive event (one that an organism approaches or seeks out)

Aversive conditioning

conditioning procedure in which the US is an aversive event (one that an organism avoids)

Backward conditioning

conditioning procedure in which the onset of the NS follows the onset of the US

Classical conditioning

a process whereby a stimulus comes to elicit a response because it has been paired with (or associated with) another stimulus; also known as Pavlovian conditioning or respondent conditioning

Conditioned response (CR)

the response, often similar to the unconditioned response, that is elicited by the conditioned stimulus

Conditioned stimulus (CS)

any stimulus that, although initially neutral, comes to elicit a response because it has been associated with (paired with) an unconditioned stimulus

Delayed conditioning

conditioning procedure in which the onset of the NS precedes the onset of the US, and the two stimuli overlap

Dishabituation

the reappearance (or recovery) of a habituated response to a stimulus following the presentation of another, seemingly irrelevant novel stimulus

Elicited behavior

behavior that is drawn out (elicited) by a preceding stimulus; also known as respondent behavior

Excitatory conditioning

conditioning procedure in which a stimulus is associated with the presentation of a US and therefore, as a CS, comes to elicit a response

Fixed action pattern

a fixed sequence of responses elicited by a specific stimulus

Flexion response

the automatic response of jerking one’s hand or foot away from a hot or sharp object

Habituation

a decrease in the strength of an elicited response following repeated presentations of a stimulus that naturally (without prior learning) elicits that response

Inhibitory conditioning

conditioning procedure in which a stimulus is associated with the absence or removal of a US and therefore, as a CS, comes to inhibit the occurrence a response (meaning that the response is less likely to occur when the CS is present than when it is absent)

Opponent-process theory

a theory proposing that an emotional event elicits two competing processes: (1) an a-process (or primary process) that is directly elicited by the event, and (2) a b-process (or opponent process) that is elicited by the a-process and serves to counteract the a-process

Orienting response

the automatic positioning of oneself to facilitate attending to a stimulus

Pseudoconditioning

false conditioning in which an elicited response that appears to be a CR is actually the result of sensitization rather than conditioning.

Reflex

a relatively simple, involuntary response to a stimulus

Reflex arc

a neural structure that underlies many simple reflexes and consists of a sensory neuron, an interneuron, and a motor neuron, in that order

Sensitization

an increase in the strength of an elicited response following repeated presentations of the stimulus that naturally (without prior learning) elicits that response

Sign stimulus (or releaser)

a specific stimulus that elicits a fixed action pattern

Simultaneous conditioning

conditioning procedure in which the onset of the NS and the onset of the US are simultaneous

Startle response

a defensive reaction to a sudden, unexpected stimulus, which involves the automatic tightening of skeletal muscles and various hormonal and visceral changes

Temporal conditioning

a form of classical conditioning in which the CS is the passage of time

Trace conditioning

conditioning procedure in which the onset and offset of the NS precede the onset of the US

Unconditioned response (UR)

the response that is naturally (without prior learning) elicited by the unconditioned stimulus

Unconditioned stimulus (US)

a stimulus that naturally (without prior learning) elicits a response