Psych Ch. 5
Disinhibition
A temporary loss of inhibition caused by an outside stimulus.
Model
An organism that engages in a response that is then imitated by another organism.
Systematic Desensitization
A behavior fear-reduction technique in which a hierarchy of fear-evoking stimuli is presented while the person remains relaxed. Takes longer than flooding, but isn't as unpleasant. Ex: Slowly I show you pictures of clowns and let you see clowns from a distance before asking you to stay in a room with one.
Unconditioned Response (UCR)
An unlearned response to an unconditioned stimulus Ex: -You doubling over in agony after I kick you in the balls (the unlearned response is you doubling over in agony) -A dog salivating to meat is an unconditioned response
Punishment
An unpleasant stimulus that suppresses the behavior it follows
Conditioned reinforcer
Another term for secondary reinforcer
Reward
A pleasant stimulus that increases the frequency of the behavior it follows (ex: getting a cookie)
Shaping
A procedure for teaching complex behaviors that at first reinforces approximations of the target behavior. Ex: Teaching a dog to roll-over (you give the dog a treat first for lying on it's back because that is close to rolling over)
Positive reinforcer
A reinforcer that when presented increases the frequency of an operant Ex: Food, approval
Fixed-interval Schedule
A schedule in which a fixed amount of TIME must elapse between the previous and subsequent times that reinforcement is available
Fixed-Ratio Schedule
A schedule in which reinforcement is provided after a fixed NUMBER of correct responses
Variable-Ratio Schedule
A schedule in which reinforcement is provided after a variable NUMBER of correct responses
Variable-Interval schedule
A schedule in which variable amounts of TIME must elapse between the previous and subsequent times that reinforcement is available
Flooding
A behavioral fear-reduction technique based on principles of Classical Conditioning. Fear-evoking stimuli (CSs) are presented continuously in the absence of actual harm so that fear responses (CRs) are extinguished. Ex: I lock you in a tiny room with 10 clowns for 2 weeks. Eventually, your fear of clowns will be lessened.
Learning
A relatively permanent behavior change that results from experience
Higher-Order Conditioning
Classical Conditioning procedure in which a previously neutral stimulus comes to elicit the response brought forth by a *conditioned stimulus* by being paired repeatedly w/ that stimulus. -Ex: I start shining a flashlight in your eyes when I ring the bell that makes you cower in fear. Eventually you fear the light (the higher-order CS) just like you fear the bell (the first-order CS).
Stimulus
Any event or object in the environment to which an organism responds
Successive Approximations
Behaviors that are progressively closer to target behavior.
Bandura's 4 processes to determine if observational learning will occur
1)Attention- Attend to model 2)Retention- Store info in memory 3)Reproduction- physically and mentally capable of performing 4)Reinforcement- motivated to practice and perform
Classical Conditioning
Simple form of learning in which an organism learns to anticipate or associate events. A neutral stimulus comes to evoke the response usually evoked by another stimulus. Ex: Pavlov's dogs
Counter-conditioning
A fear-reduction technique in which pleasant stimuli are associated with fear-evoking stimuli so that the fear-evoking stimuli lose their aversive qualities. Ex: I'm afraid of spiders, so to rid me of that fear every time you show me spiders you give me peanut butter. I come to associate spiders with something good and no longer fear them.
Observational learning
A form of cognitive learning in which we learn by observing others--regardless of whether we perform what we have learned or not.
Conditioned Response (CR)
A learned response to a conditioned stimulus. Ex: Bells don't usually terrify people, but your conditioned response is to bells is now terror because I keep kicking you in the balls every time I ring one!
Cognitive map
A mental representation of a spatial arrangement such as a maze
Generalization
In conditioning, the tendency for a conditioned response to be evoked by stimuli that are similar to the stimulus to which the response was conditioned. Ex: If I ring a bell every time I kick you in the balls and you come to fear bells, you may also come to fear keys jingling because they sound similar to bells
Discriminative stimulus
In operant conditioning, a stimulus that indicates that reinforcement is available
Partial Reinforcement
One of several reinforcement schedules in which not every correct response is reinforced.
Biological preparedness
Readiness to acquire a certain kind of conditioned response due to biological make-up of an organism. Ex: It makes evolutionary sense for humans to fear poisonous snakes.
Time out
Removal of an organism from a situation in which reinforcement is available when unwanted behavior is shown
Reflex
Simple, unlearned response to a stimulus
Taste aversion
The intense dislike/avoidance of particular foods that have been associated with nausea or discomfort.
Extinction
The process by which stimuli lose their ability to evoke learned responses because the events that had followed the stimulus no longer occur Ex: If I stop kicking you in the balls and ringing a bell, eventually your response to bells (terror), will become extinguished
Spontaneous Recovery
The recurrence of an extinguished response as a function of the passage of time.
Discrimination
The tendency for an organism to distinguish between a conditioned stimulus and similar stimuli that do not forecast an unconditioned stimulus Ex: A crying baby is soothed by his mother's voice because he knows she's going to give him her boob, but he's not soothed by just any woman's voice even though women sound similar
Behavior modification
Therapy techniques based on principles of learning that teach adaptive behavior and extinguish or discourage maladaptive behavior
Law of effect
Thorndike's view that pleasant events stamp in responses, whereas unpleasant events stamp them out. Ex: I give you a cookie (pleasant) every time you mow the lawn, you start mowing the lawn regularly. I spank you (unpleasant) every time you shoplift, you stop shoplifting.
Reinforce
To follow a response with a stimulus that increases the frequency of the response
Conditioned Stimulus (CS)
A previously neutral stimulus that elicits a conditioned response because it has been paired repeatedly with a stimulus that already elicited that response. Ex: If I ring a bell every time I kick you in the balls and you begin to double over in agony when you hear it, the bell becomes the conditioned stimulus
Negative reinforcement
A reinforcer that when REMOVED increases the frequency of an operant. Ex: Turning off your alarm removes the annoying sound. This reinforces you to get out of bed and shut it off.
Primary reinforcer Ex: Food is a primary reinforcer, getting a 50 dollar gift card is not
A reinforcer whose effectiveness is based on the biological make up of an organism and not on learning
Continuous reinforcement
A schedule of reinforcement in which every correct response is reinforced.
Operant conditioning
A simple form of learning in which an organism learns to engage in certain behavior because it is reinforced
Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS)
A stimulus that elicits a response prior to conditioning Ex: -I kick you in the balls, you double over in agony (stimulus is the kick) -meat causing a dog to salivate (stimulus is the meat)
Secondary reinforcer Ex: A 50 dollar gift card is a secondary reinforcer, you associate it with all the things you can buy with it (ex: food)
A stimulus that gains reinforcement value through association with established reinforcers.
Operant behavior
Behavior that operates on, or manipulates, the environment Ex: B.F. Skinner attempted to teach pigeons to guide missiles to their target, operating on their environment
Programmed learning
complex tasks are broken down into smaller tasks
Latent learning
learning that is hidden, or concealed