Unit 6 Test- AP PSYCH Flashcards
CLASSICAL CONDITIONING (CC)
process of learning when a previously neutral stimulus becomes associated with the neutral cause of behavior and creates a similar or related response
Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936)
conducted conditioned response experiments
- experiment= chemical digestion of food, he harnessed dogs and fed them food to maximize saliva and then measure how the dogs reacted to the food
Steps:
1) took dried spoiled beef & soaked it in blood and then dried it
2) put it in front of the dogs and then measured how much they salivated
3) then Pavlov associated the sound of a bell with the food and eventually the dogs salavated when they heard the sound of the bell (even if there was no food)
John Watson (1878-1958)
conducted the “Little Albert Experiment” which experimented how phobias can be learned, generalized, and extinguished based upon C.C. principles
Steps:
1) had a child who was scared of loud noises touch a rat
2) when he reached out to touch the rat, a loud bang was played right behind his head
3) eventually cried when he only saw the rat, associating a loud bang was going to come next
Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS)
any natural stimulus that causes a reflexive (natural, automatic) behavior
Unconditioned Response (UCR)
the automatic (unlearned) behavior reflex of a stimulus
Conditioned Stimulus (CS)
a previously neutral stimulus that, through sessions of a acquisition, causes a learned behavioral response
Conditioned Response (CR)
learned behavior developed in association with a Conditioned Stimulus (CS)
Extinction
gradual erosion of conditioned behaviors due to a disassociation of C.S and U.C.S
- learned associations of stimuli becomes broken
- C.S. no longer causes a Conditioned Response (CR) & reverts back to a meaningless neutral stimulus
Spontaneous Recovery
sudden reappearance of a previously extinguished CR that is displayed following an extended delay in C.S presentation or after a brief requisition of the C.S
- the Conditioned Response (CR) is weaker than it was when 1st learned
- the Conditioned Response (CR) is extinguished earlier than when 1st learned
Stimulus Generalization
conditioned responses that are triggered by the conditioned stimulus and other stimulus that resemble the CS.
- focusing on similarities among related stimuli and responding with similar behaviors
Stimulus Discrimination
behavioral changes that result from differences between two stimuli that are otherwise similar to the conditioned stimulus
- focusing on differences among stimuli and responding with different behaviors
Superstition
false and irrational associations of stimuli conditioned through illogical coincidence
Taste Aversion- “Food Aversion”
a learned (conditioned) avoidance of a specific food
- learned association of food and illness
- typically only one bad experience results in the conditioned behavior to develop
Phobias
irrational fears that often develop as a result of exaggerated conditioned learning
Behavioral Therapy techniques for learned phobias (there are three)
extinction of fear based upon conditioning principles of disassociation
1) Flooding - exposure to overwhelming amounts of the fear-provoking stimulus (“facing fears”)
2) Systematic Desensitization - gradual exposure to progressive increments of the fear-provoking stimulus in conjunction w/relaxation techniques
3) Counter Conditioning - substituting the fearful stimulus with a more appealing CS so that the phobic response is counteracted/neutralized
OPERANT CONDITIONING
learned associations between actions and behavioral consequences
- learning in response to trial and error
initiating or stopping actions as learned associations of
Behavioral Modifiers = “reinforcements” and “punishments”
Edward Thorndike (1874-1949)
“The Law of Effect” = learned by trial and error
- focused on reinforcement-based behavioral modification
- studied animal behavior in “puzzle boxes”
- “The Learning Curve”
David Premack (1925-2015)
desirable stimuli are effective motivators to modify undesirable behaviors (incentive-based learning)
- reinforcement after-the-fact to “reward” behavior
EX: “if you eat all your vegetables, then you may have ice cream.”
B.F. Skinner (1904-1990)
adapted Thorndike’s puzzle boxes to include both reinforcements and punishments
= “Skinner Boxes”
Behavioral Modification: Reinforcement
any stimuli added or taken away to make a behavior increase frequency
- promotes likelihood of reoccurrence
Behavioral Modification: Punishments
stimuli (actions) added or taken away that will decrease behavioral responses
- punishment alone is proven to be effective
- reinforcement alone is proven to be more effective
- reinforcement + punishment = most effective, Burrhus Frederic Skinner
Types of Reinforcements (Positive v.s Negative)
Positive Reinforcement= stimuli added so that the frequency of learned behavior increases
–> stimulus is typically desirable - reward incentive
Negative Reinforcement= stimuli taken away or the removal or avoidance of a stressor or high-anxiety environment to promote behavior
–> typically the removal of unpleasent stimuli
Types of Punishments (Positive vs. Negative)
Positive Punishments= stimuli added that will reduce the reoccurrence of a behavior
–> stimulus is typically aversive / unpleasant
–> pacification develops into reinforced behavior
Negative Punishments= withdrawing a stimulus as means to lessen the reoccurrence of a behavior
–> typically the deprivation of desired stimuli
Schedules of Reinforcement: Continuous
applying a reinforcement upon the completion of every display of conditioned behavior
- promotes the quickest response for learning new behaviors
- often leads to behavioral dependency and promotes extinction when reinforcements stop
