Unit 5: Learning Flashcards
(55 cards)
habituation
what happens when repeated stimulation produces waning responsiveness; adaptation to one’s environment
associative learning
linking two events that occur close together
stimulus
any event or situation that evokes a response
respondent behavior
associating stimuli that we do not control and responding automatically
classical conditioning
a type of learning in which we link two or more stimuli; as a result, to illustrate with Pavlov’s classic experiment, the first stimulus (a tone) comes to elicit behavior (drooling) in anticipation of the second stimulus (food)
behaviorism
the psychological study of how organisms respond to stimuli, focused on thoughts and behaviors interacting
neutral stimulus (NS)
a stimulus that elicits no response before conditioning
unconditioned stimulus (US)
a stimulus that unconditionally–naturally and automatically–triggers an unconditioned response
unconditioned response (UR)
an unlearned, naturally occurring response to an unconditioned stimulus
conditioned stimulus (CS)
an originally neutral stimulus that, after association with an unconditioned stimulus, comes to trigger a conditioned response
conditioned response (CR)
a learned response to a previously neutral (but now conditioned) stimulus
acquisition
in classical conditioning, the initial stage, when one links a neutral stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus so that the neutral stimulus begins triggering the conditioned response –> in operant conditioning, the strengthening of a reinforced response
higher-order conditioning
a procedure in which the conditioned stimulus in one conditioning experience is paired with a new neutral stimulus, creating a second (often weaker) conditioned stimulus
extinction
when an unconditioned stimulus does not follow a conditioned stimulus
spontaneous recovery
the reappearance, after a pause, of an extinguished conditioned response
generalization
the tendency, once a response has been conditioned, for stimuli similar to the conditioned stimulus to elicit similar responses
discrimination
the learned ability to distinguish between a conditioned stimuli and a similar stimuli that do not signal an unconditioned response
Little Albert
an experiment on emotional response conditioning in babies; researchers made a loud, upsetting noise of metal banging every time Albert reached for a white furry rat, conditioning the nine-month-old to fear the animal and other objects with similar features
operant conditioning
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
operant behavior
behavior that operates on the environment, producing consequences; organisms associate their own actions with consequences –> behavior that operates on the environment to produce rewarding or punishing stimuli
law of effect
behaviors followed by favorable consequences become more likely, and that behaviors followed by unfavorable consequences become less likely
operant chamber
a chamber containing a bar or key that an animal can manipulate to obtain a food or water reinforcer; attached devices record the animal’s rate of bar pressing or key pecking
reinforcement
any event that strengthens a preceding response; what is reinforced depends on the animal and conditions
shaping
an operant conditioning procedure in which reinforcers guide behavior toward closer and closer approximations of the desired behavior
