Jon Golan 12.12.

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Chapter 8

- Learning- relatively permanent change in behavior, due to experience

- Associative Learning- Learning stimuli-stimuli behavior (classical

conditioning) or response-consequence behavior (operant conditioning)

- Classical conditioning- (pavlovian conditioning) Organism associates

stimuli with eachother. Neutral stimulus triggers an unconditioned
stimulus

- Behaviorism- Psychology should be studied as an objective science

that studies behavior without reference to mental processes
(researchers do not agree with the mental processes part)

- Unconditioned Response- naturally occurring response to

unconditioned stimulus. Example: salivating with food in the mouth

- Unconditioned stimulus- stimulus that naturally and automatically

triggers a response

- Conditioned response- Learned response to a previously neutral

conditioned stimulus

- Conditioned Stimulus- irrelevant stimulus that becomes associated

with an unconditioned stimulus and triggers a conditioned response

- Acquisition- the phase associating a neutral stimulus with

unconditioned stimulus so that neutral stimulus elicits a conditioned
response, in operant conditioning, it strengthens a reinforced behavior)

- Extinction- diminishing of conditioned response. Occurs when UCS

doesn’t follow CS

- Spontaneous Recovery- Reappearance of an extinguished CR

- Generalization- tendency for stimuli similar to conditioned stimuli to

elicit similar responses.

- Discrimination- Learned ability to distinguish CS from other stimuli that

trigger responses

- Operant Conditioning- Behavior is strengthened if followed by a

reinforcement or diminished if followed by a punishment

- Respondent Behavior- Automatic response to some stimulus; Skinners

term for behavior learned through classical conditioning
- Operant Behavior- Behavior that operates on environment, producing
consequences

- Law of effect- Thorndikes principle that behaviors followed by favorable

consequences become more likely, whereas behaviors followed by
unfavorable consequences become less likely

- Operant Chamber- (Skinner Box) Chamber containing a bar or key that

animal can manipulate to obtain a reinforcement like food or water,
with a device to record animals pressing of bar or key. Used for
Operant conditioning research

- Shaping- Operant conditioning procedure where reinforcement leads

behavior to a desired goal

- Reinforcer- operant conditioning; event that strengthens behavior it

follows

- Primary Reinforcer- innately reinforcing stimulus, such as one that

satisfies biological need

- Secondary (conditioned) Reinforcer- stimulus that gains its reinforcing

power through association with primary reinforcer

- Continuous Reinforcement- reinforcing desired response every time it

occurs

- Partial reinforcement- reinforcing a response sometimes. Slower

reinforcement, but increases resistance to extinction than continuous
reinforcement.

- Fixed-Ratio schedule- Operant conditioning; a schedule of

reinforcement that reinforces response only after a number of
responses (aka Paycheck)

- Variable ratio- Operant conditioning, schedule of reinforcement that

reinforces response after unpredictable number of responses

- Fixed Interval schedule- Operant conditioning, schedule of

reinforcement that reinforces response after a specified time passes

- Variable interval schedule- Operant conditioning, schedule of

reinforcement that reinforces response at unpredictable time intervals

- Punishment- event that decreases the behavior it follows, can also

evoke unwanted responses such as fear, anger or resistance

- Cognitive-map- mental representation of the layout of an environment

(rats have a cognitive map of a maze after completing it)
- Latent learning- learning occurs but isn’t visible until there is an
incentive to use it

- Overjustification effect- effect of promising a reward for doing

something that the subject already likes to do. This unlike intrinsic
interest, is the motivation for finishing the task

- Intrinsic motivation- desire to perform a behavior for its own sake for
effectiveness

- Extrinsic motivation- desire to perform a behavior due to a promised

reward or punishment

- Observational learning- learning by observing others

- Modeling- Process of observing and imitating behaviors

- Mirror neurons- frontal lobe neurons that fire when performing certain
actions or when observing another doing so. Mirroring of other actions
can enable imitation, language learning, and empathy

- Prosocial Behavior- Positive , constructive, helpful behavior. The

opposite of antisocial behavior.