David Meyers Psychology Textbook - Chapter 7 Vocab

the process of acquiring through experience new and relatively enduring information or behaviors.

learning that certain events occur together. The events may be two stimuli (as in classical conditioning) or a response and its consequence (as in operant conditioning).

any event or situation that evokes a response.

behavior that occurs as an automatic response to some stimulus.

behavior that operates on the environment, producing consequences.

the acquisition of mental information, whether by observing events, by watching others, or through language.

a type of learning in which we link two or more stimuli; as a result, to illustrate with Pavlov's classic experiment, the first stimulus (a tone) comes to elicit behavior (drooling) in anticipation of the second stimulus (food).

the view that psychology (1) should be an objective science that (2) studies behavior without reference to mental processes. Most research psychologists today agree with (1) but not with (2).

in classical conditioning, a stimulus that elicits no response before conditioning.

in classical conditioning, an unlearned, naturally occurring response (such as salivation) to an unconditioned stimulus (US) (such as food in the mouth).

in classical conditioning, a stimulus that unconditionally—naturally and automatically—triggers an unconditioned response (UR).

in classical conditioning, a learned response to a previously neutral (but now conditioned) stimulus (CS).

in classical conditioning, an originally neutral stimulus that, after association with an unconditioned stimulus (US), comes to trigger a conditioned response (CR).

in classical conditioning, the initial stage, when one links a neutral stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus so that the neutral stimulus begins triggering the conditioned response. In operant conditioning, the strengthening of a reinforced response.

a procedure in which the conditioned stimulus in one conditioning experience is paired with a new neutral stimulus, creating a second (often weaker) conditioned stimulus. For example, an animal that has learned that a tone predicts food might then learn that a light predicts the tone and begin responding to the light alone. (Also called second-order conditioning.)

the diminishing of a conditioned response; occurs in classical conditioning when an unconditioned stimulus (US) does not follow a conditioned stimulus (CS); occurs in operant conditioning when a response is no longer reinforced.

the reappearance, after a pause, of an extinguished conditioned response.

the tendency, once a response has been conditioned, for stimuli similar to the conditioned stimulus to elicit similar responses. (In operant conditioning, generalization occurs when responses learned in one situation occur in other, similar situations.)

in classical conditioning, the learned ability to distinguish between a conditioned stimulus and similar stimuli that do not signal an unconditioned stimulus. (In operant conditioning, the ability to distinguish responses that are reinforced from similar responses that are not reinforced.)

a type of learning in which a behavior becomes more likely to recur if followed by a reinforcer or less likely to recur if followed by a punisher.

Thorndike's principle that behaviors followed by favorable consequences become more likely, and that behaviors followed by unfavorable consequences become less likely.

in operant conditioning research, a chamber (also known as a Skinner box) containing a bar or key that an animal can manipulate to obtain a food or water reinforcer; attached devices record the animal's rate of bar pressing or key pecking.

in operant conditioning, any event that strengthens the behavior it follows.

an operant conditioning procedure in which reinforcers guide behavior toward closer and closer approximations of the desired behavior.

increasing behaviors by presenting positive reinforcers. A positive reinforcer is any stimulus that, when presented after a response, strengthens the response.

increasing behaviors by stopping or reducing negative stimuli. A negative reinforcer is any stimulus that, when removed after a response, strengthens the response. (Note: Negative reinforcement is not punishment.)

an innately reinforcing stimulus, such as one that satisfies a biological need.

a stimulus that gains its reinforcing power through its association with a primary reinforcer; also known as a secondary reinforcer.

a pattern that defines how often a desired response will be reinforced.

reinforcing the desired response every time it occurs.

reinforcing a response only part of the time; results in slower acquisition of a response but much greater resistance to extinction than does continuous reinforcement.

in operant conditioning, a reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response only after a specified number of responses.

in operant conditioning, a reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response after an unpredictable number of responses.

in operant conditioning, a reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response only after a specified time has elapsed.

in operant conditioning, a reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response at unpredictable time intervals.

an event that tends to decrease the behavior that it follows.

a biological predisposition to learn associations, such as between taste and nausea, that have survival value.

the tendency of learned behavior to gradually revert to biologically predisposed patterns.

a mental representation of the layout of one's environment. For example, after exploring a maze, rats act as if they have learned a cognitive map of it.

learning that occurs but is not apparent until there is an incentive to demonstrate it.

a desire to perform a behavior effectively for its own sake.

a desire to perform a behavior to receive promised rewards or avoid threatened punishment.

learning by observing others.

the process of observing and imitating a specific behavior.

frontal lobe neurons that some scientists believe fire when we perform certain actions or observe another doing so. The brain's mirroring of another's action may enable imitation and empathy.

positive, constructive, helpful behavior. The opposite of antisocial behavior.