ch7.2

Question 1

primary reinforcer

Answer 1

a stimulus that has survival value
and is therefore intrinsically rewarding
* They are rewarding by their very nature (e.g., food, sex,
water, psychoactive drugs)

Question 2

secondary reinforcer

Answer 2

a neutral stimulus that becomes
rewarding when associated with a primary reinforcer
* Money, grades, acceptance, attention, affection etc

Question 3

primary punisher

Answer 3

a stimulus that is naturally aversive to
an organism
* Usually associated with pain or discomfort (e.g., shock
or extreme temperature)

Question 4

secondary punisher

Answer 4

neutral stimulus that becomes
aversive when associated with a primary punisher
* Disapproval, indifference, criticism

Question 5

how does operant conditioning work

Answer 5

Reinforcement is more effective than punishment
* Reinforcements tell us what to do in the future
* Punishments tell us what not to do right now
* Can lead to adverse effects
* Spanking results in low self-esteem, aggressive tendencies,
delinquency

Question 6

operant stimulus generalization

Answer 6

Will similar behaviors bring about the
same consequences?
The tendency to respond to stimuli similar to those that preceded
reinforcement

Question 7

operant stimulus discrimination

Answer 7

Only very specific behavior will generate
a consequence
* The tendency to make an operant response when stimuli previously
associated with reward are present and to withhold the response when
stimuli associated with nonreward are present

Question 8

operant extinction

Answer 8

The weakening or disappearance of nonreinforced
operant response

Question 9

shaping

Answer 9

introducing new behaviour by reinforcing close
approximations of the desired behaviour

Question 10

what is shaping used for

Answer 10

Used most often for training animals to do ‘tricks’
* Be wary of instinctive drift
* Cognizant of biological constraint

Question 11

behaviour modification

Answer 11

systematic approach to change
behaviour using principles of operant conditioning.
Example, ABA therapy use of Token economies

Question 12

learned helplessness

Answer 12

a situation in which repeated
exposure to inescapable punishment eventually produces a
failure to make escape attempts – often situations in which
they have no control

Question 13

intensity

Answer 13

Those that are
more intense will be more
likely to result in behaviors
being repeated in the future

Question 14

timing

Answer 14

Reinforcement and
punishment are most
effective when they rapidly
follow a response

Question 15

what are the factors influecning the effectiveness of reinforcement and punishment

Answer 15

intensity
timing
consistency

Question 16

consistency

Answer 16

Varies when it comes to reinforcement

Question 17

continuous reinforcement

Answer 17

Follows every correct response. Best for
learning new responses

Question 18

partial reinforcement

Answer 18

Does not follow every response
* Responses acquired by partial reinforcement are highly resistant to
extinction.

Question 19

partial reinforcement can be given on different schedules

Answer 19

fixed ratio
variable ratio
fixed interval
variable interval

Question 20

fixed ratio

Answer 20

The number of
correct responses needed

Question 21

variable ratio

Answer 21

A varying number
of correct responses

Question 22

fixed interval

Answer 22

Only after a set
amount of time has passed

Question 23

variable interval

Answer 23

Variation on a
fixed interval schedule

Question 24

observational or socail learning

Answer 24

learning that
occurs without overt training in response to
watching the behaviour of others, called models

Question 25

modelling

Answer 25

what occurs when an observer
learns from the behaviour of another

Question 26

observational learning

Answer 26

Watching and imitating the actions of
another person
* Paying attention
* Remembering
* Reproducing

Question 27

one important factor for observational learning

Answer 27

One important factor is the characteristics of the model:
* Those in authority over us
* Those we admire
* Those who are similar to us

Question 28

vicarious learning

Answer 28

occurs when an individual
observes the consequences to another’s action and
then chooses to duplicate the behaviour or refrain
from doing so

Question 29

mirror neurons

Answer 29

neurons fired when an animal or
human performs an action or when they see another
animal perform the same action

Question 30

observational learning and aggression

Answer 30

Albert Bandura’s famous Bobo Doll study

Question 31

how does learning occur

Answer 31

Some research suggests that learning can happen
without any obvious reinforcement

Question 32

implicit learning

Answer 32

refers to the acquisition of
information without awareness (e.g., learning to
walk or talk)

Question 33

spatial navigation learning

Answer 33

a form of shaping, it’s learning
that involves forming associations among stimuli relevant to
navigating in space

Question 34

spatial navigation learning rat studies

Answer 34

In rat studies it involves the presentation of food rewards as
the rats move in the correct direction (shaping)

Question 35

latent learning

Answer 35

occurs without reinforcement and is not used
until called for; not a result of conditioning

Question 36

cognitive maps

Answer 36

under latent learning

retaining the information about the layout of
the space (e.g., rats in a maze)

Question 37

insight learning

Answer 37

a sudden realization
of a solution to a problem or leap in
understanding new concepts
* Having a eureka moment
* The solution to a challenging
problem may pop into our minds

Question 38

factors that facilitate learning

Answer 38

timing
attention
context

Question 39

timing

Answer 39

• Multiple exposures separated by time facilitates
  learning facts
• Space

Question 40

context

Answer 40

• Studying in several different locations increases the
  likelihood that you’ll form strong memories about the
  information

Question 41

awareness and attention

Answer 41

Sometimes attention can get in our way, especially when the
sources of information are in conflict

Question 42

stroop effect

Answer 42

involves presenting a list of words printed in
different colours. People are asked to list the colours of the
ink, thus ignoring the word colour
* The task is difficult because reading tends to be automated
and that automatic process interferes with a relatively
effortless task, naming the ink colou

Question 43

social networking and multi tasking how does it affect learning

Answer 43

• Divided attention means we don’t put our full attention
  towards one task
• Using social networking sites (e.g., FB, Instagram,
  Twitter) has been shown to reduce performance and is
  negatively correlated with grades and hours studies
• Also affects those sitting around you

Question 44

sleep- how it affect learning

Answer 44

• Sleep deprivation impairs our abilities to pay attention
  and learn
• Sleep deprivation can prevent learned information from
  moving into more permanent long-term memory
  storage
• Can also lead to negative effects on our immune
  system

Question 45

Learning disorders undetected

Answer 45

Typically go undetected until 5th grade

Question 46

learning disorder adults

Answer 46

As adults, those with LDs, have lower levels of literacy,
are less likely to be employed, and more likely to suffer
from mental illness

Question 47

stats of learning disabilities

Answer 47

5% of children 6-15 have a LD, and 28% of 22- to 29-
year-olds with LD report having less than a high school
diploma

Question 48

learning disorders adults

Answer 48

Many children with diagnosed learning disorders (LDs)
go on to be successful adults

Question 49

specific learning disorder

Answer 49

a specific deficiency in one
aspect of cognitive function while other aspects function
normally
* Learning and using academic skills, listening, thinking,
speaking, reading, writing, spelling, or math
* 6+ mos, with intervention, and still remains; cannot be due
to sensory deficit or intellectual disorder

Question 50

reading disorder

Answer 50

(dyslexia): a deficit in reading
comprehension, written spelling, and word acquisition
* Left parietal and temporal cortex

Question 51

mathematics disorder

Answer 51

(dyscalculia): a deficit in math ability,
including calculations, math word problem comprehension, and
math concepts
* Left parietal and frontal cortex

Question 52

disorder of written expression

Answer 52

(dysgraphia): an impairment
in the ability to create written word
* Causes largely unknown, may not be independent of other LD