Unit 4

Question 1

learning

Answer 1

the process of acquiring through experience new and relatively enduring information or behaviors

Question 2

habituation

Answer 2

decreasing responsiveness with repeated exposure to a stimulus

Question 3

associative learning

Answer 3

learning that certain events occur together; events may be two stimuli or a response and its consequence

Question 4

stimulus

Answer 4

any event or situation that evokes a response

Question 5

respondent behavior

Answer 5

behavior that occurs as an automatic response to some stimulus

Question 6

operant behavior

Answer 6

behavior that operates on the environment, producing consequences

Question 7

cognitive learning

Answer 7

the acquisition of mental information, whether by observing events, by watching others, or through language

Question 8

classical conditioning

Answer 8

a type of learning in which we link two or more stimuli; as a result, the first stimulus comes to elicit behavior in anticipation of the second stimulus

Question 9

behaviorism

Answer 9

the view that psychology should be an objective science that studies behavior without reference to mental processes

Question 10

neutral stimulus(NS)

Answer 10

a stimulus that elicits no response before conditioning

Question 11

unconditioned response(UR)

Answer 11

an unlearned, naturally occurring response to an unconditioned stimulus

Question 12

unconditioned stimulus(US)

Answer 12

a stimulus that unconditionally triggers an unconditioned response

Question 13

conditioned response(CR)

Answer 13

a learned response to a previously neutral stimulus

Question 14

conditioned stimulus(CS)

Answer 14

an originally neutral stimulus that after association with an unconditioned stimulus, comes to trigger a conditioned response

Question 15

acquisition

Answer 15

the initial stages, when one links a neutral stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus so that the neutral stimulus begins triggering the conditioned response; in OC the strengthening of a reinforced response

Question 16

higher-order conditioning

Answer 16

a procedure in which the conditioned stimulus in one conditioning experience is paired with a new neutral stimulus, creating a second conditioned stimulu

Question 17

extinction

Answer 17

the diminishing of a conditioned response

Question 18

spontaneous recovery

Answer 18

the reappearance of an extinguished conditioned response

Question 19

generalization

Answer 19

the tendency, once a response has been conditioned, for a stimulus similar to the conditioned stimulus to elicit similar responses

Question 20

discrimination

Answer 20

the learned ability to distinguish between a conditioned stimulus and a similar stimuli that do not signal an unconditioned stimulus

Question 21

operant conditioning

Answer 21

a type of learning in which a behavior becomes more likely to recur if followed by a reinforcer or less likely to recur if followed by a punisher

Question 22

law of effect

Answer 22

thorndike’s principle that behaviors followed by favorable consequences become more likely, and that behaviors followed by unfavorable consequences become less likely

Question 23

operant chamber

Answer 23

a chamber containing a bar or key that an animal can manipulate to obtain a food or water reinforcer

Question 24

reinforcement

Answer 24

any event that strengthens the behavior it follows

Question 25

shaping

Answer 25

an operant conditioning procedure in which reinforcers guide behavior toward closer and closer approximations of the desired behavior

Question 26

positive reinforcement

Answer 26

any stimulus that, when presented after a response, strengthens the repsonse

Question 27

negative reinforcement

Answer 27

any stimulus the, when removed after a response, strengthens the response

Question 28

discriminative stimulus

Answer 28

a stimulus that elicits a response after association with reinforcement

Question 29

primary reinforcer

Answer 29

an innately reinforcing stimulus; biological

Question 30

conditioned reinforcer

Answer 30

secondary reinforcer; gains reinforcing power through its association with a primary reinforcer

Question 31

reinforcement schedule

Answer 31

a pattern that defines how often a desired response will be reinforced

Question 32

continuous reinforcement schedule

Answer 32

reinforcing the desired response every time it occurs

Question 33

partial(intermittent) reinforcement schedule

Answer 33

reinforcing response only part of the time, less at risk for extinction

Question 34

fixed-ratio schedule

Answer 34

reinforces a response only after a specified number of responses

Question 35

variable-ratio schedule

Answer 35

reinforces a response after an unpredictable number of responses

Question 36

fixed-interval schedule

Answer 36

reinforces only after a specified time has elapsed

Question 37

variable-interval schedule

Answer 37

reinforces a response at unpredictable time intervals

Question 38

punishment

Answer 38

an event that tends to decrease the behavior that it follows

Question 39

biofeedback

Answer 39

a system for electronically recording, amplifying, and feeding back information regarding a subtle physiological state, such as blood pressure or muscle tension

Question 40

preparedness

Answer 40

a biological predisposition to learn associations, such as between tastes and nausea, that have survival value

Question 41

instinctive drift

Answer 41

the tendency of learned behavior to gradually revert to biologically predisposed patterns

Question 42

cognitive map

Answer 42

a mental representation of the layout of one's environment

Question 43

latent learning

Answer 43

learning that occurs but is not apparent until there is an incentive to demonstrate it

Question 44

insight

Answer 44

a sudden realization of a problem's solution

Question 45

intrinsic motivation

Answer 45

a desire to perform a behavior effectively for its own sake

Question 46

extrinsic motivation

Answer 46

a desire to perform a behavior to receive promised rewards or avoid threatened punsihment

Question 47

problem-focused coping

Answer 47

attempting to alleviate stress directly- by changing the stressor or the way we interact with that stressor

Question 48

emotion-focused coping

Answer 48

attempting to alleviate stress by avoiding or ignoring a stressor and attending to emotional needs related to our stress reaction

Question 49

personal control

Answer 49

our sense of controlling our environment rather than feeling helpless

Question 50

learned helplessness

Answer 50

the hopelessness and passive resignation an animal or person learns when unable to avoid repeated aversive events

Question 51

external locus of control

Answer 51

the perception that chance or outside forces beyond our personal control determine our fate

Question 52

internal locus of control

Answer 52

the perception that we control our own fate

Question 53

self-control

Answer 53

the ability to control impulses and delay short-term gratification for greater long-term rewards

Question 54

observational learning

Answer 54

learning by observing others; social learning

Question 55

modeling

Answer 55

the process of observing and imitating a specific behavior

Question 56

mirror neurons

Answer 56

frontal lobe neurons that some scientists believe fire when we perform certain actions or observe another doing so; may enable imitation and empathy

Question 57

prosocial behavior

Answer 57

positive, constructive, helpful behavior; the opposite of antisocial behavior