behaviourist approach Flashcards
behaviourist approach
a way of explaining behaviour in terms of what is observable and learnt
classic conditioning
conditioning based on the association of stimulus with response
unconditioned stimulus
something in the environment which triggers a response
unconditioned response
a natural response to an unconditioned stimulus
neutral stimulus
something in the environment which initially produces no response
conditioned stimulus
something in the environment which initially produces no response
conditioned response
the response to a conditioned stimulus brought about by learning by association
extinction
the conditioned response disappears if the conditioned stimulus is no longer presented alongside the unconditioned stimulus
stimulus generalisation
the process by which an animal, once it has been conditioned to respond to a neutral stimulus so it becomes a conditioned stimulus, also responds to similar neutral stimuli
operant conditioning
conditioning based on the reward or punishment of actions
operant
a spontaneous action for which there is no prior cause
positive reinforcement
occurs through reward, leading to an action being repeated
punishment
occurs when there is an unpleasant consequence to an action, meaning that it will not be repeated
negative reinforcement
occurs when an unpleasant stimulus is avoided through an action
partial reinforcement
- occurs when a behaviour is only reinforced some of the time
- it can be regular or variable
