Unit 4 Learning

Question 1

Associative learning

Answer 1

learning about the relationship between two separate stimuli; behavior can be learned or unlearned based on the response it generates

• contains classical and operant conditioning

Question 2

Behavioral perspective

Answer 2

a branch of psychology that focuses on how people learn through their interactions with the environment.

• It is based on the idea that all behaviors are acquired through conditioning, which is a process of reinforcement and punishment.

Question 3

Behaviorism

Answer 3

The bigger category/idea that Behavioral perspective falls under

Question 4

Classical conditioning

Answer 4

Classical conditioning is one of those unconscious learning methods and is the most straightforward way in which humans can learn

• the process in which an automatic, conditioned response is paired with specific stimuli

Question 5

Environmental determinism

Answer 5

the view that behavior is determined or caused by forces outside the individual.

• Environmental determinism posits that our behavior is caused by previous experience learned through classical and operant conditioning.

Question 6

Instrumental conditioning

Answer 6

a method of learning that uses rewards and punishment to modify behavior

-Through operant conditioning, behavior that is rewarded is likely to be repeated, while behavior that is punished is prone to happen less.

Question 7

Law of effect

Answer 7

when a stimulus receives a positive response the behavior is more likely to be repeated, and when a stimulus receives a negative response the behavior is more likely to happen less frequently

-Edward Lee Thorndike researched and published the law of effect.

Question 8

Operant conditioning

Answer 8

a method of learning that uses rewards and punishment to modify behavior

-Through operant conditioning, behavior that is rewarded is likely to be repeated, while behavior that is punished is prone to happen less.

Question 9

Acquisition

Answer 9

refers to the initial stage of learning or conditioning. It’s the process where a new behavior is introduced and gradually strengthened, leading to a conditioned response

-In simpler terms, it’s the “acquiring” of a new knowledge or behavior.

Question 10

Conditioned response (CR)

Answer 10

The conditioned response is the learned response to the previously neutral stimulus.

-Example: the conditioned response would be feeling hungry when you heard the sound of the whistle.

Question 11

Condition stimulus (CS)

Answer 11

when a neutral object, action, or person is connected to a specific response over time.

-Example, the sound of a bell is the conditioned stimulus in Pavlov’s experiment, and the dogs salivating would be the conditioned response.

Question 12

Consequences

Answer 12

a consequence in psychology is a response to behavior that modifies the behavior.

-Punishment is one type of consequence, but there are several others including reinforcing behaviors that increase the likelihood of behaviors.

Question 13

Contiguity

Answer 13

theory of contiguity emphasizes that the only condition necessary for the association of stimuli and responses is that there be a close temporal relationship between them.

-Example, if one constantly sees a knife and a fork together they become linked

Question 14

Extinction

Answer 14

extinction refers to the gradual weakening of a conditioned response that results in the behavior decreasing or disappearing.

• In other words, the conditioned behavior eventually stops. For example, imagine that you taught your dog to shake hands. Over time, the trick became less interesting.

Question 15

Garcia effect

Answer 15

a phenomenon in which conditioned taste aversions develop after a specific food becomes associated with a negative reaction, such as nausea or vomiting.

-The Garcia effect was discovered by Dr. John Garcia in the 1950s

Question 16

Neutral stimulus (NS)

Answer 16

a neutral stimulus is a stimulus that at first elicits no response

• Pavlov introduced the ringing of the bell as a neutral stimulus. An unconditioned stimulus is a stimulus that leads to an automatic response. In Pavlov’s experiment, the food was the unconditioned stimulus.

Question 17

Spontaneous recovery

Answer 17

Spontaneous recovery is when a behavior that is believed to be extinct (the conditioned behavior has disappeared or stopped occurring when the stimulus is present) unexpectedly and quickly returns after a period of rest or lessened response.

Question 18

Stimulus discrimination

Answer 18

Stimulus discrimination is a term used in both classical and operant conditioning. It involves the ability to distinguish between one stimulus and similar stimuli. In both cases, it means responding only to certain stimuli, and not responding to those that are similar.

Question 19

Stimulus generalization

Answer 19

occurs when an individual responds to stimuli that are similar to the original conditioned stimulus

-For example, the dog that was conditioned to drool upon hearing a clicking noise may generalize that behavior to similar sounds, such as tapping and beeping noises.

Question 20

Stimulus-response learning

Answer 20

idea that learning and behavior can be explained by interactions between stimuli and the responses they evoke.

• If you accidentally touch a hot object, you automatically withdraw your hand. The heat of the hot object is the stimulus and you, withdrawing your hand is the response to the stimulus.

Question 21

Unconditioned response (UR)

Answer 21

an unconditioned response is an automatic response to a stimulus.

• The dogs salivating for food is the unconditioned response in Pavlov’s experiment

Question 22

Unconditioned stimulus (US)

Answer 22

a stimulus that leads to an automatic response.

-In Pavlov’s experiment, the food was the unconditioned stimulus. An unconditioned response is an automatic response to a stimulus.

Question 23

Avoidance conditioning

Answer 23

A type of conditioning in which the subject is conditioned or trained to respond or behave to an anticipated unpleasant event by avoiding the aversive stimulus or punishment every time the cue or warning signal is perceived

-In a typical conditioning experiment, a buzzer is sounded, then a shock is applied to the subject (e.g., a dog) until it performs a particular act (e.g., jumping over a fence). After several trials, the dog jumps as soon as the buzzer sounds, avoiding the shock. Also called avoidance learning; avoidance training.

Question 24

Continuous reinforcement

Answer 24

continuous reinforcement is the repeated reinforcement of a behavior every time it happens.

-This can involve positive (adding a stimulus) or negative (removing a stimulus) reinforcement, with the goal of encouraging certain actions

Question 25

Fixed reinforcement

Answer 25

the number of responses between reinforcements, or the amount of time between reinforcements, which is set and unchanging.

• Examples: a monthly review at work, a teacher giving a reward for good behavior each class, and a weekly paycheck.

Question 26

High order (Second order) conditioning

Answer 26

when a neutral stimulus becomes linked to a conditioned stimulus

• Example: one study found that after participants were exposed to pictures of snakes and spiders paired with an unpleasant noise, they exhibited increased fear responses when shown pictures of the animals alone

Question 27

Negative punishment

Answer 27

in negative punishment, you remove a pleasant stimulus to decrease a behavior

-When a child misbehaves, a parent can take away a favorite toy. In this case, a stimulus (the toy) is removed in order to decrease the behavior.

Question 28

Negative reinforcement

Answer 28

Negative reinforcement is the encouragement of certain behaviors by removing or avoiding a negative outcome or stimuli.

Question 29

Positive punishment

Answer 29

positive punishment is when you add a consequence to unwanted behavior.

-you do this to make it less appealing. An example of positive punishment is adding more chores to the list when your child neglects their responsibilities.

Question 30

Positive reinforcement

Answer 30

positive reinforcement is a method for behavior modification that increases the likelihood or probability that a behavior will occur.

-it strengthens a behavior by adding something pleasurable as a reward after the occurrence of the behavior.

Question 31

Successive approximations

Answer 31

successive approximation is the process of reinforcing steps of desirable behaviors which are getting closer to the target behavior.

-in other words, rewarding a student for doing something that is close to what you want them to do. By doing so, you move the expectation closer to the ultimate desired behavior.

Question 32

Variable reinforcement

Answer 32

a type of partial reinforcement where only a proportion of responses are reinforced and there is no fixed pattern.

-Gambling machines use variable reinforcement, as a win comes after an unpredictable number of responses.

Question 33

John Garcia

Answer 33

John Garcia identified a phenomenon that came to be known as THE GARCIA EFFECT

Question 34

Ivan Pavlov

Answer 34

Ivan Pavlov was a Russian physiologist best known in psychology for his discovery of CLASSICAL CONDITIONING

Question 35

B.F Skinner

Answer 35

Skinner’s theory of OPERANT CONDITIONING suggests that learning and behavior change are the result of reinforcement and punishment

Question 36

Edward Thorndike

Answer 36

Thorndike’s LAW OF EFFECT states that behaviors followed by a reward or reinforcement are more likely in the future, whereas behaviors followed by a punishment are less likely in the future

Question 37

John Watson

Answer 37

John B. Watson was a pioneering psychologist who played an important role in developing BEHAVIORISM