Learning

Question 1

learning

Answer 1

enduring changes in behavior that occur with experience.

Question 2

association

Answer 2

process by which two pieces of information from the environment are repeatedly linked so that we begin to connect them in our minds.

Question 3

conditioning

Answer 3

a form of associative learning in which behaviors are triggered by associations with events in the environment.

Question 4

classical conditioning

Answer 4

form of associative learning in which a neutral stimulus becomes associated with a stimulus to which one has an automatic, inborn response.

Question 5

unconditioned response (UCR)

Answer 5

the natural automatic, inborn reaction to a stimulus.

Question 6

unconditioned stimulus (UCS)

Answer 6

the environmental input that always produces the same unlearned response.

Question 7

conditioned stimulus (CS)

Answer 7

a previously neutral input that an organism learns to associate with the UCS.

Question 8

conditioned response (CR)

Answer 8

a behavior that an organism learns to perform when presented with the CS.

Question 9

stimulus generalization

Answer 9

extension of the association between UCS and CS to include a broad array of similar stimuli.

Question 10

stimulus discrimination

Answer 10

restriction of a CR (such as salivation) to only the exact CS to which it was conditioned.

Question 11

extinction

Answer 11

the weakening and disappearance of a conditioned response in the absence of reinforcement.

Question 12

spontaneous recovery

Answer 12

the sudden reappearance of an extinguished response.

Question 13

law of effect

Answer 13

the consequences of a behavior increase (or decrease) the likelihood that the behavior will be repeated.

Question 14

operant conditioning

Answer 14

the process of changing behavior by manipulating the consequences of that behavior.

Question 15

reinforcer

Answer 15

an internal or external event that increases the frequency of a behavior.

Question 16

primary reinforcers

Answer 16

innate, unlearned reinforcers that satisfy biological needs (such as food, water, or sex).

Question 17

secondary (or conditioned) reinforcers

Answer 17

reinforcers that are learned by association, usually via classical conditioning (such as money, grades, and peer approval).

Question 18

positive reinforcement

Answer 18

the presentation or addition of a stimulus after a behavior occurs that increases how often that behavior will occur.

Question 19

negative reinforcement

Answer 19

removal of a stimulus after a behavior to increase the frequency of that behavior.

Question 20

punishment

Answer 20

stimulus that decreases the frequency of a behavior.

Question 21

positive punishment

Answer 21

the addition of a stimulus that decreases behavior.

Question 22

negative punishment

Answer 22

the removal of a stimulus to decrease behavior.

Question 23

Skinner box

Answer 23

simple chamber used for operant conditioning of small animals.

Question 24

shaping

Answer 24

the reinforcement of successive approximations of a desired behavior.

Question 25

continuous reinforcement

Answer 25

reinforcement of a behavior every time it occurs.

Question 26

intermittent reinforcement

Answer 26

reinforcement of a behavior—but not after every response. Strongest behavioral response.

Question 27

schedules of reinforcement

Answer 27

patterns of intermittent reinforcement distinguished by whether reinforcement occurs after a set number of responses or after a certain amount of time has passed since the last reinforcement.

Question 28

fixed ratio (FR) schedule

Answer 28

pattern of intermittent reinforcement in which reinforcement follows a set number of responses.

Question 29

variable ratio (VR) schedule

Answer 29

a pattern of intermittent reinforcement in which the number of responses needed for reinforcement changes.

Question 30

fixed interval (FI) schedule

Answer 30

pattern of intermittent reinforcement in which responses are always reinforced after a set period of time has passed.

Question 31

variable interval (VI) schedule

Answer 31

a pattern of intermittent reinforcement in which responses are reinforced after time periods of different duration have passed.

Question 32

conditioned taste aversion

Answer 32

the learned avoidance of a particular taste or food.

Question 33

instinctive drift

Answer 33

learned behavior that shifts toward instinctive, unlearned behavior tendencies.

Question 34

biological constraint model

Answer 34

a view on learning which proposes that some behaviors are inherently more likely to be learned than others.

Question 35

latent learning

Answer 35

learning that occurs in the absence of reinforcement and is not demonstrated until later, when reinforcement occurs.

Question 36

enactive learning

Answer 36

learning by doing.

Question 37

observational learning

Answer 37

learning by watching the behavior of others.

Question 38

social learning theory

Answer 38

a description of the kind of learning that occurs when we model or imitate the behavior of others.

Question 39

modeling

Answer 39

the imitation of behaviors performed by others.

Question 40

imprinting

Answer 40

the rapid and innate learning of the characteristics of a caregiver very soon after birth.

Question 41

ethology

Answer 41

the scientific study of animal behavior.

Question 42

behavior modification

Answer 42

principles of operant conditioning used to change behavior.

Question 43

Neural Growth

Answer 43

Stimulating the growth of neurons by being in an enriched environment that continues to have new and Novel forms of simulation.