Learning

Question 1

acquisition

Answer 1

the process that establishes or strengthens a conditioned response

Question 2

behaviourism

Answer 2

the position that psychology should concern itself only with what people and other animals do, and the circumstances in which they do it

Question 3

blocking effect

Answer 3

the previously established association to one stimulus blocks the formation of an association to the added stimulus

Question 4

classical conditioning

Answer 4

van Pavlov discovered classical conditioning, the process by which an association forms between a neutral stimulus (the conditioned stimulus) and one that initially evokes a reflexive response (the unconditioned stimulus). The result is a new response (the conditioned response) to the conditioned stimulus

Question 5

conditioned response

Answer 5

whatever response the conditioned stimulus elicits as a result of the conditioning procedure

Question 6

conditioned stimulus

Answer 6

response to something depends on the preceding conditions → pairing the CS with the UCS

Question 7

discrimination

Answer 7

to respond differently to stimuli that predict different outcomes
The process of it follows the extinction or suppression of stimulus generalisation until the target response is only elicited by the target stimulus

Question 8

drug tolerance

Answer 8

users of certain drugs experience progressively weaker effects after taking the drugs repeatedly

Question 9

extinction

Answer 9

It is to extinguish a classically conditioned response, repeatedly present the conditioned stimulus without the unconditioned stimulus

Question 10

spontaneous recovery

Answer 10

it is a temporary return of an extinguished response after a delay

Question 11

stimulus generalisation

Answer 11

it is the extension of a conditioned response from the training stimulus to a similar stimuli

Question 12

stimulus-response psychology

Answer 12

the attempt to explain a behaviour in terms of how each stimulus triggers a response

Question 13

unconditioned reflex

Answer 13

Automatic connections between a stimulus such as food and a response such as secreting digestive juices

Question 14

unconditioned response

Answer 14

the action that the unconditioned stimulus elicits

Question 15

unconditioned stimulus

Answer 15

an event that automatically elicits an unconditioned response

Question 16

what is the basis for classical conditioning?

Answer 16

Pavlov believed that conditioning occurred because presenting two stimuli close to each other in time developed a connection between their brain representations. Later research showed that animals do not treat the conditioned stimulus as if it were the unconditioned stimulus. Also, being close in time is not enough. Learning occurs if the first stimulus predicts the second stimulus.

Question 17

Applied behaviour analysis

Answer 17

a psychologist removes reinforcement for unwanted behaviours and provides reinforcement for more acceptable behaviours

Question 18

chaining

Answer 18

assuming you want to train an animal to go through a sequence of actions. You should chain the behaviours, reinforcing each one with the opportunity to engage in the next behaviour.

Question 19

continuous reinforcement

Answer 19

provide reinforcement for every correct response

Question 20

discrimination

Answer 20

if reinforcement occurs for responding to one stimulus and not another, yielding a response to one stimulus and not another

Question 21

discriminative stimulus

Answer 21

a stimulus that indicates which response is appropriate or inappropriate

Question 22

Disequilibrium principle of reinforcement

Answer 22

anything that prevents an activity produces disequilibrium, and an opportunity to return to equilibrium is reinforcing

Question 23

extinction

Answer 23

it occurs if responses stop producing reinforcements

Question 24

fixed-interval schedule

Answer 24

it provides reinforcement for the first response after a specific time interval

Question 25

intermittent/partial reinforcement

Answer 25

reinforcement for some responses and not for others

Question 26

Law of Effect

Answer 26

of several responses made to the same situation, those which are accompanied or closely followed by satisfaction to the animal will, other things being equal, be more firmly connected with the situation, so that, when it recurs, they will be more likely to recur.

Question 27

Learning curve

Answer 27

it is a graph of the changes in behaviour that occur over the course of learning

Question 28

negative reinforcment

Answer 28

It refers to a situation when an individual takes action to remove something the individual does not like. It is also referred to as escape or avoidance learning. Like taking medicine to cure a stomach ache

Question 29

operant conditioning

Answer 29

it is the process of changing behaviour by providing a reinforcer after a response

Question 30

positive reinforcement

Answer 30

giving or presenting something to the individual that he likes

Question 31

primary reinforcer

Answer 31

they are reinforcing because of their own properties

Question 32

punishment

Answer 32

it decreases the probability of a response

Question 33

reinforcement

Answer 33

it is the consequence that increases the future probability of the most recent response

Question 34

schedule of reinforcement

Answer 34

it is the rules for the delivery of reinforcement

Question 35

secondary reinforcer

Answer 35

they became reinforcing by association with something else. It is learned

Question 36

shaping

Answer 36

establishing a new response by reinforcing successive approximations to it

Question 37

skeletal responses/reinforcer

Answer 37

Responses like movements of leg muscles, arm muscles, etc

Question 38

stimulus control

Answer 38

the ability of a stimulus to encourage some responses and discourage others

Question 39

stimulus generalisation

Answer 39

the more similar a new stimulus is to the original reinforced stimulus, the more likely is the same response

Question 40

variable-interval schedule

Answer 40

reinforcement is available after a variable amount of time

Question 41

variable-interval ratio schedule

Answer 41

reinforcement occurs after a variable number of correct responses that varies around a mean value

Question 42

visceral responses

Answer 42

Responses of internal organs like salivation and digestion

Question 43

What are the schedules of reinforcement?

Answer 43

In a ratio schedule of reinforcement, an individual is given reinforcement after a fixed or variable number of responses. In an interval schedule of reinforcement, an individual is given reinforcement after a fixed or variable period of time.

Question 44

conditioned taste aversion

Answer 44

associating a food with illness. animals, including people, learning to avoid foods, especially unfamiliar ones, if they become ill afterward. This type of learning occurs reliable after a single pairing, even with a long delay between the food and the illness. Illness is associated much more strongly with foods than other stimuli

Question 45

preparedness

Answer 45

the concept that evolution has prepared us to learn some associations more easily than others

Question 46

self-efficacy

Answer 46

the belief of being able to perform the task successfully

Question 47

sensitive period

Answer 47

someone learns most readily during this period in their first year of lifeo

Question 48

social-learning approach

Answer 48

we learn about many behaviours by observing the behaviours of others (imitation)

Question 49

vicarious reinforcement/punishment

Answer 49

you learn by substituting someone else’s experience for your own

Question 50

birdsong learning

Answer 50

Infant birds of some species must hear their songs during a sensitive period early in life if they are to develop a fully normal song the following spring. During the early learning, the bird makes no response and receives no reinforcement.

Question 51

what is self-reinforcement and self-punishment?

Answer 51

Once people have decided to try to imitate a certain behaviour, they set goals for themselves and sometimes provide their own reinforcements.