Unit 4 - Learning and Behaviors

extrinsic

This type of motivation is behavior to gain external rewards or avoid punishment (reading about psych for grades rather than for self-improvement / learning).

superstition

Accidental rewarding and/or partial reinforcement that is incorrectly associated with a reward.

intrinsic

This type of motivation is a desire to perform a behavior effectively for its own sake; natural interest.

observational learning

Learning by watching others (a.k.a., social learning).

latent

Learning that occurs but is not apparent until there is an incentive to demonstrate it (giving direction in a new area).

Thorndike

Psychologist who came up with the law of effect - that behaviors that followed by favorable consequences became more likely, unfavorable, less likely; influenced operant conditioning.

Watson

Psychologist who coined behaviorism and classical conditioning with his 'Baby Albert' experiments.

Bandura

Psychologist who pioneered observational learning with bobo doll / observational learning experiments.

Pavlov

Psychologist who pioneered research on classical conditioning with dogs and bells.

Skinner

Psychologist who pioneered research on operant conditioning by training rats to activate switches for food.

Garcia

Psychologist who pioneered research on taste aversion using irradiation and rats.

Rescorla

Psychologist who research on contingency and that the likelihood of an event occurring will determine how well or quickly CC works, as well as helplessness and complications in behavior other than rewards.

Tolman

Psychologist who theorized that behavior is based on more than just stimuli, but rather, often driven by purpose, goals, and intrinsic motivation.

taste aversion

Resistance to eating things that made you nauseous, sick or ill.

self-control

The ability to control impulses and delay short-term gratification for longer-term rewards.

behavior modification

The altering and/or encouraging the behavior of children, friends, family, self, animals neg/pos reinforcements and punishments.

learned helplessness

The hopelessness and passive resignation when unable to avoid repeated aversive events.

mirror neurons

The name for frontal lobe neurons that some scientists believe fire when performing certain actions or when observing others doing so.

modeling

The process of observing and imitating a certain behavior or demonstrating behavior.

insight learning

The type of learning where the subject experiences a sudden realization of a problem's solution.