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Chapter 9
Learning
33
Psychology
Undergraduate 1
12/15/2005

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Term
Learning
Definition
Any relatively permanent change in behavior that occurs because of experience.
Term
Behaviorism
Definition
The school of psychology that accounts for behavior in terms of observable acts and events, without reference to mental entities, such as "mind" or "will".
Term
Conditioning
Definition
A basic kind of learning that involves associations between environmental stimuli and the organism's responses.
Term
Classical conditioning
Definition
The process by which a previously neutral stimulus acquires the capacity to elicit a response through association with a stimulus that already elicits a similar or related response.
Term
Unconditioned stimulus (US)
Definition
The classical-conditioning term for an event or thing that elicits a response automatically or reflexively.
Term
Unconditioned response (UR)
Definition
The classical-conditioning term for a reflexive response elicited by a stimulus in the absence of learning.
Term
Conditioned stimulus (CS)
Definition
The classical-conditioning term for an initially neutral stimulus that comes to elicit a conditioned response after being associated with an unconditioned stimulus.
Term
Conditioned response (CR)
Definition
The classical-conditioning term for a response that is elicited by a conditioned stimulus; it occurs after the conditioned stimulus is associated with an unconditioned stimulus.
Term
Extinction
Definition
The weakening and eventual disappearance of a learned response; in classical conditioning, it occurs when the conditioned stimulus is no longer paired with the unconditioned stimulus.
Term
Spontaneous recovery
Definition
The reappearance of a learned response after its apparent extinction.
Term
Higher order conditioning
Definition
In classical conditioning, a procedure in which a neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus through associations with an already established conditioned stimulus.
Term
Stimulus descrimination
Definition
The tendency to respond differently to two or more similar stimuli; in classical conditioning, it occurs when a stimulus similar to the CS fails to evoke the CR.
Term
Stimulus generalization
Definition
After conditioning, the tendency to respond to a stimulus that resembles one involves in the original conditioning; in classical conditioning, it occurs when a stimulus that resembles the CS elicits the CR.
Term
Counterconditioning
Definition
In classical conditioning, the process of pairing a conditioned stimulus with a stimulus that elicits a response that is incompatible with an unwanted conditioned response.
Term
Operant conditioning
Definition
The process by which a response becomes more likely to occur or less so, depending on its environmental consequences.
Term
Instrumental conditioning
Definition
Another term for operant conditioning.
Term
Thorndike
Definition
Said behavior is controlled by its consequences.
Term
B.F. Skinner
Definition
"Radical behaviorism." Argued we should focus on the external causes of an action and the action's consequences to understand behavior. "Skinner box."
Term
J.B. Watson
Definition
Argued classical conditioning.
Term
Reinforcement
Definition
The process by which a stimulus or event strengthens or increases the probability of the response that it follows.
Term
Positive reinforcement
Definition
A reinforcement procedure in which a response is followed by the presentation of, or increase in intensity of, a reinforcing stimulus; as a result, the response becomes stronger or more likely to occur.
Term
Negative reinforcement
Definition
A reinforcement procedure in which a response is followed by the removal, delay, or decrease in intensity of an unpleasant stimulus; as a result, the response becomes stronger or more likely to occur.
Term
Primary reinforcer
Definition
A stimulus that is inherently reinforcing, typically satisfying a physiological need; asn example is food.
Term
Secondary reinforcer
Definition
A stimulus that has acquired reinforcing properties through association with other reinfor
Term
Descriminative stimulus
Definition
A stimulus that signals when a particular response is likely to be followed by a certain type of consequence.
Term
Continuous reinforcement
Definition
A reinforcement schedule in which a particular response is always reinforced.
Term
Partial/intermittent reinforcement
Definition
A reinforcement schedule in which a particular response is sometimes but not always reinforced.
Term
Shaping
Definition
An operant-conditioning procedure in which successive approximations of a desired response are reinforced.
Term
Problems with punishment
Definition
People often administer punishment inappropriately or mindlessly.
The recipient of punishment often responds with anxiety, fear, or rage.
The effectiveness of punishment is often temporary, depending heavily on the presence of the punishing person or circumstances.
Most misbehaviour is hard to punish immediately.
Punishment conveys little information.
An action intended to punish may instead be reinforcing because it brings attention.
Term
Social-cognitive theories
Definition
Theories that emphasize how behavior is learned and maintained through observation and imitation of others, positive consequnces, and cognitive processes such as plans expectations, and beliefs.
Term
Observational learning
Definition
A process in which an individual learns new responses by observing the behavior of another (a model) rather than through direct experiences; sometimes called vicarious conditioning.
Term
Albert Bandura
Definition
Emphasized importance of observational learning, especially for children learning the rules of behavior.
Term
Latent learning
Definition
A form of learning that is not immediately expressed in an overt response; it occurs without obvious reinforcement.
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