Learning - Guided Reading Vocabulary (1-4)

Discrimination - the act of responding differently to stimuli that are not similar to each other

Conditioning – a type of learning that involves stimulus-response connections

Generalization – the act of responding in the same ways to stimuli that seem to be similar

Tate Aversion – a learned avoidance of a particular food

Extinction – the loss of a stimulus’s ability to bring about a conditioned response

Unconditioned Response – an automatic response to a stimulus

Classical conditioning – a simple form of learning in which one stimulus calls forth a response normally generated by a different stimulus

Conditioned response – a learned response to a stimulus that was previously neutral

Unconditioned stimulus – a stimulus that causes a response that is not learned

Conditioned Response – a stimulus that causes a learned response

Flooding – a conditioning method in which people with fears are exposed to harmless stimuli until fear responses are extinguished

Spontaneous Recovery – when organisms display responses to stimuli that had been extinguished earlier

Systematic Desensitization – the use of relaxation techniques to help people overcome fears

Counterconditioning – the pairing of pleasant stimuli with fearful ones in order to counteract the subject’s fear

Pavlov’s experiments with dogs are an example of classical conditioning

Extinction – when a conditioned stimulus is no longer followed by an unconditioned one

Section 2

Reinforcement – process by which a stimulus increases the chances that a behavior will occur again

Shaping – method of teaching complex behaviors in which one first reinforces small steps

Ratio – the relationship in quantity, amount or size between two things

Positive reinforcers – stimuli that increase the frequency of a behavior that they follow

Chaining – method of learning in which each step of a sequence leads to another step until the final action is achieved

Continuous Reinforcement – Rewarding a mouse every time it presses a particular button

Primary Behavior Reinforcers – Food and warmth

Schedule of reinforcement -outline of how often a behavior is reinforced

Negative reinforcers – intended to stop unwanted behavior from occurring

Reinforcement can include both rewards and punishments

Operant conditioning – a type of learning in which people and animals learn to behave in certain ways because of the results of what they do

Money and social status are considered secondary reinforcers because their values must be learned

Being allowed to visit a friend because you have completed all your chores is positive reinforcement

A process such as riding a bicycle can be learned as a series of steps that build on each other (chaining)

Rewarding a behavior every fith time it occurs is an example of partial reinforcement

Reward – increases the frequency of a behavior

Reinforcement – where a stimulus is used to teach actions (pulling levers, touching certain buttons, etc.)

Ratio – the relationship dependant on two things because of an amount, size, etc.

Punishment – unwanted events that reduce the frequency of actions

Primary Reinforcer – things like food or water that function due to biological reasons

Section 3

Observational Learning – the acquiring of knowledge by observing and imitating other people

Latent Learning – learning that remains hidden until it is needed

Token Economies – system in which people are paid to act correctly by earning rwards such as points that can be cashed in for treats or privileges

Modeling – form of observational learning in which people observe behavior and can later reproduce it

Vicarious Reinforcement – experienced indirectly through the experience of another person

Section 4

PQ4R Method -  approach to active  learning that includes six steps to help students absorb information

Massed Learning – the process of studying something regularly so the learning is spread over several days or weeks

Step 1 – Preview: Attempting to get a general picture of the material  to be studied before studying actually begins

Step 2 – Question: Phrasing questions about the material to be studied perhaps by changing headings into questions

Step 3 – Read: Examining the material to be studied to try to answer questions you have phrased about it

Step 4: Reflect: Thinking about material that has been studied in order to better understand and remember it

Step 5: Recite: Stating information about the studied material aloud to improve memory

Step 6: Review: Repeatedly studying the same material for better understanding and memory