Chapter 7

Question 1

define classical conditioning.

Answer 1

the process by which a previously neutral stimulus becomes associated w/ a stimulus that already elicits a response, & therefore gets the capacity to elicit a similar/related response

Question 2

what is a synonym for classical conditioning?

Answer 2

Pavlovian conditioning (after Ivan Pavlov)

Question 3

define unconditioned stimulus.

Answer 3

aka US; elicits a reflexive response w/out learning

Question 4

define unconditioned response.

Answer 4

aka UR; a reflexive, unlearned reaction to an uncondicttioned stimuli

Question 5

define neutral stimulus.

Answer 5

aka NS; does not elicit a specific response/response of interest, can be anything you want to pair w/ the unconditioned stimulus

Question 6

define conditioned stimulus.

Answer 6

aka CS; a once-neutral stimulus that later elicits a conditioned response b/c it has a history of being paired w/ an unconditioned stimulus; same as the neutral stimulus except it now elicits a desired response

Question 7

define conditioned response.

Answer 7

aka CR; the learned response that occurs b/c of the conditioned stimulus; will be the same response as the unconditioned response, it just depends on what stimulus is causing the response

Question 8

define extinction.

Answer 8

when the conditioned stimulus is repeatedly presented w/out the unconditioned stimulus, it eventually disappearss

Question 9

define spontaneous recovery.

Answer 9

when a conditioned response that had gone extinct randomly reappears later; demonstrates why it’s necessary to have more than one session of extinction for the response to totally stop

Question 10

define higher-order conditioning.

Answer 10

when a neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus by being paired w/ an already-established conditioned stimulus; can become a chain of conditioned responses

Question 11

True or false: chains of conditioned stimuli will preserve the power that the original unconditioned stimulus has on the individual.

Answer 11

false; as you get farther away from the original unconditioned stimulus, the power that it holds over the individual will get weaker & easier to extinguish

Question 12

define stimulus generation.

Answer 12

a response that originally occurred for a specific stimulus & also now occurs for different but similar stimuli,, despite not being directly paired w/ a stimulus befor

Question 13

define stimulus discrimination.

Answer 13

when an organism learns to respond to one original conditioned stimulus but not to new stimulus that may be similar to the original stimulus (opposite of stimulus generalization)

Question 14

define behaviorism.

Answer 14

an approach that emphasizes the study of observable behavior & the role of the environment & prior experience as determinants of behavior; inspired by classical conditioning; only objective observation

Question 15

in what way would behaviorism study emotions?

Answer 15

studying objective emotional responses to objects & events

Question 16

true or false: according to behaviorism, all behavior is determined by whether someone is rewarded or punished.

Answer 16

true; reward & punishment determine how likely they are to do a similar thing in a similar situation again

Question 17

define fear conditioning.

Answer 17

a process by which an organism learns that a previously neutral stimulus reliably predicts an aversive stimulus, & the conditioned stimulus comes to elicit a conditioned response

Question 18

what is fear conditioning’s relation to classical conditioning?

Answer 18

it’s basically classical conditioning, except the response is always fear

Question 19

define fear extinction.

Answer 19

the process by which an organism learns that a conditional stimulus used to predict an aversive unconditioned stimulus no longer does, so they stop fearing the conditioned stimulus (eg Little Albert)

Question 20

true or false: fear can be generalized easily.

Answer 20

true; if someone is scared of a rat, they can be scared of anything white & furry

Question 21

define counterconditioning.

Answer 21

associating a conditioned stimulus w/ a stimulus that elicits a response that is incompatible w/ an unwanted conditioned response; leads to new learning that overrides old learning

Question 22

what is an important factor of a new unconditioned stimulus in counterconditioning?

Answer 22

the new unconditioned stimulus must provide a stronger response than the old conditioned stimulus that caused fear

Question 23

what is one explanation for our reactions to different foods & odors?

Answer 23

classical conditioning; we can associate some w/ unpleasant symptoms that cause us to dislike it

Question 24

define the Garcia effect.

Answer 24

the idea that we are biologically primed to acquire some classically conditioned responses easily (eg food poisoning)

Question 25

define operant conditioning.

Answer 25

conditioning in which behavior becomes more or less likely to occur based on its consequences (reward or punishment); responses are generally not reflexive, & are more complex in those in classical conditioning

Question 26

define contingency.

Answer 26

the concept that the consequence is going to depend on the action, & the likelihood of that action occurring again in a similar situation depends on the consequence; if/then statements

Question 27

define reinforcement.

Answer 27

any action that follows behavior that increases the likelihood of that behavior again

Question 28

define primary reinforcer.

Answer 28

naturally reinforcing; they satisfy a biological need (eg food, water, heat)

Question 29

define secondary reinforcers.

Answer 29

acquire their ability to strengthen a response through association w/ other reinforcers (eg money)

Question 30

define positive reinforcement.

Answer 30

something pleasant that follows a response

Question 31

define negative reinforcement.

Answer 31

something unpleasant is removed after a response

Question 32

define avoidance learning.

Answer 32

removes the possibility that a negative stimulus will occur (eg paying your bill in time to avoid late fees)

Question 33

define escape learning.

Answer 33

when a response removes a stimulus that is already present (eg covering your ears when hearing a fire drill)

Question 34

define punishment.

Answer 34

any action that follows a behavior that decreases the likelihood of that behavior occurring again

Question 35

define positive punishment.

Answer 35

when something unpleasant follows a response

Question 36

define negative punishment.

Answer 36

when something pleasant is removed after a response

Question 37

true or false: extinction, stimulus generalization, & stimulus discrimination only occur in classical conditioning.

Answer 37

false; also occur in operant conditioning

Question 38

define extinction in operant conditioning.

Answer 38

occurs when the reinforcer that maintained the response is withheld or no longer available

Question 39

define a discriminative stimulus.

Answer 39

signals when a response is likely to be followed up by a certain type of consequence; eg a stoplight will cause you to either stop/go depending on whether it's red/green; dynamic & different for different people

Question 40

define shaping.

Answer 40

reinforcing successive approximations of a specific operant response, gradually getting to the final desired behavior (eg learning to golf)

Question 41

define chaining.

Answer 41

linking together two or more shaped behaviors into a more complex action or sequence of actions; small, teachable steps that build up on each other

Question 42

define a fixed ratio schedule.

Answer 42

when you set a number times behavior needs to occur for it to be reinforce; behavior needs to occur "x" amount of times before it's rewarded, no matter ow long it takes

Question 43

define variable ratio schedule.

Answer 43

when a person doesn't know hen they're going to be rewarded next; the only way they can find out is by doing the behavior over & over again (eg gambling)

Question 44

define a fixed interval schedule.

Answer 44

when behavior has to occur at least once during a certain interval of time to rewarded (eg finishh homework in 30 mins)

Question 45

define variable interval schedule.

Answer 45

when a subject gets reinforced at a random time, but you don't know when it's going to happen (eg watching for shooting stars)

Question 46

what is punishment used for?

Answer 46

to reduce the likelihood that behavior will occur again in the future

Question 47

true or false: the size of a punishment determines its effectiveness.

Answer 47

false; consistency matters more

Question 48

what method of correction works better than punishment?

Answer 48

the extinction of undesirable behavior combined w/ reinforcement of the desired behavior

Question 49

define extrinsic reinforcers.

Answer 49

reinforcers not inherently related to the activity being reinforced, eg doing it for money

Question 50

define intrinsic reinforcers.

Answer 50

reinforcers that are inherently related to the activity being enforced, eg doing it for the love of the game

Question 51

true or false: only extrinsic rewards should be used to encourage a behavior.

Answer 51

false; they're important for starting a reinforcement schedule, but they can't be overdone so that intrinsic pleasure can arise & continue the behavior into the future; otherwise the behavior will end as soon as the extrinsic reinforcer is removed

Question 52

define latent learning.

Answer 52

a form of learning not immediately expressed in an overt response, & occurs w/out obvious reinforcement; no clear consequence or reinforcement; the idea that we are always learning & taking in knowledge, even though that learning is not demonstrated until prompted

Question 53

true or false: latent learning is about specific responses.

Answer 53

false; it's about the knowledge behind responses & consequences

Question 54

define social-cognitive learning theories.

Answer 54

emphasize behavior as the idea of learning by watching & interacting w/ others; focus on observational learning & the role played by beliefs, interpretations, & other cognitions; the habit of following the behavior of authority figures