Unit 6 Psych

Operant chamber

Technical definition: A chamber (aka Skinner's box) containing a bar or key that an animal can manipulate to obtain a food or water reinforcer Summarized definition: A box where an animal can get a reward by manipulating a bar or key

Higher-order conditioning

Technical definition: A procedure in which the CS in one conditioning experience is paired with a new neutral stimulus, creating a second (often weaker) CS Summarized definition: Something similar to the CS is associated with it to trigger a weaker response

Learning

Technical definition: A relatively permanent change in an organism's behavior due to experience Summarized definition: Usually permanent change in a behavior due to experience

Discriminant stimulus

Technical definition: A stimulus that elicits a response after association with reinforcement Summarized definition: Stimulus that gets a response after being associated with reinforcer (usually a punishment)

Unconditioned Stimulus (US)

Technical definition: A stimulus that unconditionally- naturally and automatically- triggers a response Summarized definition: A stimulus that automatically triggers a response

Operant conditioning

Technical definition: A type of learning in which behavior is strengthened if followed by a reinforcer or diminished if followed by a punisher Summarized definition: Behavior that gets stronger after being followed by a good thing or gets weaker if followed by a bad thing

Classical conditioning

Technical definition: A type of learning in which one learns to link two or more stimuli and anticipate events Summarized definition: When you can link multiple stimuli together to anticipate events

Primary Reinforcer

Technical definition: An innately reinforcing stimulus, such as one that satisfies a biological need Summarized definition: Something that reinforces something innately

Conditioned stimulus (CS)

Technical definition: An originally irrelevant stimulus that after association with an US, comes to trigger a CR Summarized definition: Stimulus that was previously neutral that now triggers a response

Reinforcer

Technical definition: Any event that strengthens the behavior it follows Summarized definition: Event that makes a behavior stronger

Negative reinforcement

Technical definition: Any stimulus that when removed after a response, strengthens the response (not a punishment) Summarized definition: A stimulus that makes a response stronger when removed

Respondent behavior

Technical definition: Behavior that occurs as an automatic response to some stimulus Summarized definition: An automaticbehavior to a stimulus

Operant behavior

Technical definition: Behavior that operates on the environment, producing consequences Summarized definition: Behavior that depends on it's surroundings that produces consequences

Habituation

Technical definition: Decreasing responsiveness with repeated stimulation. Summarized definition: A lowered responsiveness due to repeated stimulation

Positive reinforcement

Technical definition: Increasing behaviors by presenting positive stimuli. Any stimulus that when presented after a response strengthens the response Summarized definition: Making a behavior more often by presenting a positive stimulus.

Associative learning

Technical definition: Learning that certain events go together. May be two stimuli or a response & its consequences Summarized definition: Knowledge that some events may go together.

Extinction

Technical definition: The diminishing of a conditioned response; in classical conditioning happens when a US does not follow a CS. In operant conditioning it's when a response is no longer reinforced Summarized definition: When a response happens less and less until dormant since it is not permanent

Learned helplessness

Technical definition: The hopelessness and passive resignation an animal or human learns when unable to avoid repeated aversive events Summarized definition: Giving up and not trying after repeated events happen that you can't control

Acquisition

Technical definition: The initial stage when one links a neutral stimulus and a US so that the neutral stimulus begins triggering the CR. In operant conditioning, the strengthening of a reinforced response Summarized definition: Linking of a neutral stimulus and a unconditioned stimulus so the neutral can begin to trigger a response (CR)

Discrimination

Technical definition: The learned ability to distinguish between a CS and stimuli that do not signal a US Summarized definition: Ability to differentiate between a CS and things that are not similar to it/do not trigger a US

Conditioned response (CR)

Technical definition: The learned response to a previously neutral (but now conditioned) stimulus (CS) Summarized definition: A learned response to a previously unconditioned stimulus (now a conditioned stimulus)

Spontaneous recovery

Technical definition: The reappearance, after a pause, of an extinguished response Summarized definition: The reappearance of a previously extinct response

Generalization

Technical definition: The tendency that once a response has been conditioned, for stimuli similar to the CS elicit similar responses Summarized definition: Anything similar to a CS that evoked a response will be grouped with it. I.e. anything furry will be grouped with a dog.

Unconditioned response (UR)

Technical definition: The unlearned, naturally occurring response to the US Summarized definition: Naturally occurring response to an unconditioned stimulus

Behaviorism

Technical definition: The view that psychology should be an objective science that studies behavior without reference to mental processes Summarized definition: Thoughts where psych should be an objective science. Most agree with that. But disagree with the thought that it should study behavior without referencing mental processes

Law of effect

Technical definition: Thorndike's principle that behaviors followed by favorable conseuences become more likely & behaviors followed by unfavorable consequences become less likely Summarized definition: Behaviors followed by good things are more likely and behaviors followed by bad things are less likely; thought up by Thorndike.

Shaping

Technical definition: Where reinforcers guide behavior closer approximations of the desired behavior Summarized definition: Behaviors that are guided by reinforcers closer to desired behavior