Chapter 6 - PSYC 2301 - Learning

positive reinforcement

a desirable stimulus is added to increase a behavior

negative punishment

a desirable stimulus is removed to decrease a behavior

unconditioned response (UCR)

a natural (unlearned) reaction to a given stimulus

operant conditioning

a process by which we associate a behavior and its consequence

classical conditioning or Pavlovian conditioning

a process by which we learn to associate stimuli and, consequently, to anticipate events

learning

a relatively permanent change in behavior or knowledge that results from experience

neutral stimulus (NS)

a stimulus that does not naturally elicit a response

unconditioned stimulus (UCS)

a stimulus that elicits a reflexive response in an organism

conditioned stimulus (CS)

a stimulus that elicits a response after repeatedly being paired with an unconditioned stimulus

models

individuals performing the imitated behavior

instincts

innate behaviors that are triggered by a broader range of events (i.e. aging or change of seasons)

latent learning

learning that occurs but is not observable in behavior until there is a reason to demonstrate it

observational learning

learning that occurs by watching others and then imitating, or modeling, what they do or say

reflexes

motor or neural reactions to a specific stimulus in the environment

associative learning

occurs when an organism makes connections between stimuli or events that occur together in the environment

habituation

occurs when we learn not to respond to a stimulus that is presented repeatedly without change

higher-order conditioning or second-order conditioning

pairing a new neutral stimulus with the conditioned stimulus

Albert Bandura

proposed a brand of behaviorism called social learning theory

fixed ratio reinforcement schedule

reinforcement is delivered after a predictable number of responses (e.g., 2, 4, 6, and 8 responses)

variable ratio reinforcement schedule

reinforcement is delivered after an unpredictable number of responses (e.g., after 1, 4, 5, and 9 responses)

variable interval reinforcement schedule

reinforcement is delivered at unpredictable time intervals (e.g., after 5, 7, 10, and 20 minutes)

secondary reinforcers

reinforcers that has no inherent value and only has reinforcing qualities when linked with a primary reinforcer

primary reinforcers

reinforcers that have innate reinforcing qualities

law of effect

states that behaviors that are followed by unpleasant consequences that are satisfying to the organism are more likely to be repeated, and behaviors that are followed by unpleasant consequences are less likely to be repeated; proposed by Edward Thorndike

unconditioned (unlearned) and conditioned (learned)

two types of responses that organisms have to their environment

stimulus generalization

when an organism demonstrates the conditioned response to stimuli that are similar to the conditioned stimulus

partial reinforcement or intermittent reinforcement

when an organism does not receive a reinforcer every time it performs the desired behavior

stimulus discrimination

when an organism learns to respond differently to various stimuli that are similar

continuous reinforcement

when an organism receives a reinforcer each time it displays a behavior

fixed interval reinforcement schedule

when behavior is rewarded after a set amount of time; reinforcement is delivered at predictable time intervals (e.g., after 5, 10, 15, and 20 minutes)

vicarious punishment

when the model was punished for the behavior and the imitator becomes less motivated to copy the model

vicarious reinforcement

when the model was reinforced for the behavior and the imitator becomes more motivated to copy the model

shaping

when we reward successive approximations of a target behavior instead of only rewarding the the target behavior

positive punishment

an undesirable stimulus is added to decrease a behavior

negative reinforcement

an undesirable stimulus is removed to increase a behavior

conditioned response (CR)

behavior caused by the conditioned stimulus

John B. Watson

founder of behaviorism

extinction

the decrease in the conditioned response when the unconditioned stimulus is no longer presented with the conditioned stimulus

acquisition

the initial period of learning in classical conditioning when an organism learns to connect a neutral stimulus and a unconditioned stimulus

spontaneous recovery

the return of a previously extinguished conditioned response following a rest period