Learning (Chapter 7) Flashcards
Learning
The acquisition, from experience, of new knowledge, skills, or responses that result in a relatively permanent change in the state of the learner
Habituation
A general process in which repeated or prolonged exposure to a stimulus results in a gradual reduction in responding [violent movie]
Sensitization
A simple form of learning that occurs when presentation of a stimulus leads to an increased response to a later stimulus [house break in]
Classical conditioning
When a neutral stimulus produces a response after being paired with a stimulus that naturally produces a response
Unconditioned stimulus (US)
Something that reliably produces a naturally occurring reaction in an organism
Unconditioned response (UR)
Reflexive reaction that is reliably produced by an unconditioned stimulus
Conditioned stimulus (CS)
Stimulus that is initially neutral and produces a reliable response in an organism
Conditioned response (CR)
Reaction that resembles an unconditioned response but is produced by a conditioned stimulus
Acquisition
Phase of classical conditioning when the CS and the US are presented together
Extinction
Gradual elimination of a learned response that occurs when the US is no longer presented
Second-order conditioning
Conditioning where the CS is paired with a stimulus that became associated with the US in an earlier procedure
Spontaneous recovery
Tendency of a learned behavior to recover from extinction after a rest period
Stimulus generalization
Stimulus that is similar to an already-conditioned stimulus begins to produce the same response as the original stimulus does.
Stimulus discrimination
Organism learns to differentiate between the CS and other similar stimuli.
Law of Effect
Behavior becomes more likely or less likely depending on its consequences
