Week 6 + Chapter 8 Flashcards
(47 cards)
Learning
a relatively permanent change in behavior or the capacity for behavior due to experience.
Instinct
An inborn pattern of behavior elicited by environmental stimuli – also known as fixed action patterns.
Same reliability as reflexes but more complex and difficult to stop
Classical Conditioning
A type of learning in which associations are formed between two stimuli that occur sequentially in time.
Operant Conditioning
A type of learning in which associations are formed between behaviors and their outcomes.
Habituation
A simple form of learning in which reactions to repeated stimuli that are unchanging and harmless
Sensitization
An increased reaction to many stimuli following exposure to one strong stimulus
Sensitization vs habituation
Habituation ensures that we do not waste precious resources monitoring low-priority stimuli. On the other hand, sensitization is useful in dangerous situations.
Implicit learning
Learning that occurs in the absence of awareness
Explicit learning
Learning that involves conscious awareness
Unconditioned Stimulus
A stimulus that elicits a response without prior experience.
Unconditioned response
a response to an unconditioned stimulus that requires no previous experience.
Conditioned stimulus
an environmental event whose significance is learned through classical conditioning.
Conditioned response
a response learned through classical conditioning
Acquisition
the development of a learned response (CR)
Extinction
The reduction of a learned response. In classical conditioning, extinction occurs when the unconditioned stimulus (UCS) no longer follows the conditioned stimulus (CS).
In operant conditioning, extinction occurs when the consequence no longer follows the learned behavior.
Extinction = new learning that overrides old learning
Spontaneous recovery
During extinction training, the reappearance of conditioned responses (CRs) after periods of rest.
Generalization
the tendency to respond to stimuli that are similar to an original conditioned stimulus (CS)
Discrimination
A learned ability to distinguish between stimuli (often between very similar stimuli)
Taste Aversion
These classically conditioned taste aversions result when the sight, smell, or flavor of the food (CS) has been paired in the past with illness (UCS).
Biological Preparedness
In learning refers to the concept that organisms are biologically predisposed to learn certain types of behaviors or information more easily than others. This idea suggests that some behaviors or associations are “easier” for animals (including humans) to acquire due to evolutionary pressures and the brain’s inherent structure
Rescorla-Wagner Model
According to the Rescorla–Wagner model, the rate of learning about a conditioned stimulus (CS) depends on how new or surprising the association between the CS and the unconditioned stimulus (UCS) appears to be. Early in training, learning proceeds rapidly (25 units per block or set of trials) because the association is new and surprising. Later in training, gains in conditioning strength (measured by how often a conditioned response occurs) level off because the association between the CS and the UCS is now familiar and no longer surprising (4 units per block of trials).
Higher-order (or second-order) conditioning
learning in which stimuli associated with a conditioned stimulus (CS) elicit conditioned responses (CRs)
A form of classical conditioning where a neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus by being paired with an already conditioned stimulus, not the original unconditioned stimulus.
🧠 How It Works:
First-order conditioning:
Bell (neutral) + Food (unconditioned stimulus) → Salivation
After pairing: Bell = conditioned stimulus, Salivation = conditioned response
Higher-order conditioning:
Light (new neutral stimulus) + Bell → Salivation
Eventually: Light alone = new conditioned stimulus → Salivation
In Simple Terms:
You’re conditioning a stimulus based on another learned association, rather than a natural one.
Latent inhibition
the slower learning that occurs when a conditioned stimulus (CS) is already familiar compared to when the CS is unfamiliar.
Law or Effect
is a principle in psychology proposed by Edward Thorndike in the early 20th century. It states that behaviors followed by satisfying or pleasurable consequences are more likely to be repeated, while behaviors followed by unpleasant or uncomfortable consequences are less likely to be repeated.
