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AP Psychology-Learning Flashcards

AP Psychology terminology that deals with learning.

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10390346261Learningprocess by which humans and animals acquire behavior patterns; experience or practice results in a relatively permanent change in behavior or potential behavior; more broad than studying0
10390346262Conditioninga natural stimulus that evokes a natural response; acquisition of specific patterns of behavior in the presence of well defined stimuli; general term for humans and animals; basic form of learning1
10390346263Classical Conditioningexpanded by John Watson and Rosalie Rayner; Learning where a response, normally elicited by one stimulus, is taught to respond to another, normally, neutral stimulus; AKA Pavlovian; pairing an involuntary response2
10390346264Unconditioned StimulusUS or UCS; a stimulus that causes an organism to respond in a natural manner; in Pavlov's experiment, the meat powder3
10390346265Conditioned StimulusCS; ordinarily a neutral stimulus paired with a unconditioned stimulus to achieve a desired result and eventually produces the desired response in an organism when presented alone; in Pavlov's experiment, the bell4
10390346266Unconditioned ResponseUR or UCR; a natural response that occurs when the UCS occurs, like salivating in Pavlov's experiment5
10390346267Conditioned ResponseCR; a response (after conditioning) that occurs after the CS; in Pavlov's experiment, salivation6
10390346268Desensitization Therapycreated by Joseph Wolpe; Wolpe adapted Mary Cover Jones's method of unlearning fears (of children) to treat certain kinds of anxiety; a conditioning technique designed to gradually reduce anxiety about a particular object or situation; thought is that if a person can associate relaxation with the fearful stimulus then they could change human behavior7
10390346269Backward Conditioningwhen the natural stimulus is presented and terminated before the conditioned stimulus is presented. If Pavlov had presented the food and then, after the dog ate, presented the sound of the bell, the tone alone would not elicit much salivation, since it no longer signals that food is imminent. Backward conditioning is controversial because many psychologists argue that it does not work.8
10390346270Interstimulus Intervaltime between two stimulus; best used in the eyeblink conditioning experiment; Max Wertheimer did experiments with two stationary, flashing lights that at some9
10390346271Intermittent Pairingpairing the conditioned stimulus and the unconditioned stimulus on only a portion of learning rituals; this procedure reduces both the rate of learning and the final level of learning achieved10
10390346272Conditioned Food AversionAKA taste aversion; discovered by John Garcia by accident during an experiment using rats and radiation; learned association between a food (taste) and nausea/revulsion; avoiding a particular food because it was paired with a bad experience11
10390346273Extinctiona decrease in the frequency of a conditioned response because of a failure to continue pairing the US and CS (in classical conditioning) or withholding of reinforcement (operant conditioning)12
10390346274Spontaneous Recoverythe reappearance of an extinguished response after the passage of time, without further training13
10390346275Stimulus Generalizationthe transfer of behavior (learned response) from one stimulus to another stimulus that is similar in nature; in Little Albert's case, Little Albert was afraid of not only white, furry rats but any white and furry objects.14
10390346276DiscriminationLearning to respond to only one stimulus and to inhibit the response to all other stimuli; when Little Albert was able discern between a white rat and a white rabbit15
10390346277Higher Order Conditioningconditioning based on previous learning; the CS serves as an US for further training16
10390346278Operant Behaviorexpanded by BF Skinner; learning based on rewards or punishment; not automatic reflexes17
10390346279Vicarious LearningAKA observational learning or modeling; component of social learning theory; expanded by Albert Bandura; states that people pay attention to a model and convert the learning into action18
10390346280Shapingreinforcing successive approximations to desired behavior; example: Skinner box, tiger jumping through a hoop; teaching dog to pee outside, teach a penguin to do a figure 8, driving, etc19
10390346281Law Of EffectThorndike; used in an experiment with cats and a puzzle box; principle of reinforcement; behavior consistently rewarded will be 'stamped in' as learned behavior, and behavior that brings about discomfort will be 'stamped out'; satisfying effect (reinforcement) is likely to be performed again, whereas behavior that brings about negative effect (punishment) is likely to be suppressed20
10390346282Negative Reinforcerthe removal of an unpleasant stimulus that increases the likelihood that behavior will continue; is more effective in learning than punishment21
10390346283Positive Reinforcera reward; any event whose presence increase the likelihood that behavior will continue22
10390346284Primary Reinforcerreinforcer such as water, food, or sex23
10390346285Secondary Reinforcerreinforcer whose value allows an individual to acquire other reinforcers like food and water; examples: money, credit cards24
10390346286Schedules Of Reinforcementthe rule for determining when and how often reinforcers will continue; Four types of schedules: fixed ratio, variable ratio, fixed interval, and variable interval; interval means over a time and ratio means an act; partial reinforcement is on a variable schedule whereas continuous reinforcement is on a fixed schedule; variable schedules are more effective in learning25
10390346287Punishmentany event whose presence decreases the likelihood that behavior will occur26
10390346288Response Generalizationgiving a response that is somewhat different from the response originally learned to that stimulus; when Little Albert responds the same way to a white rat or a white coat27
10390346289Cognitive Learningimpossible to observe and measure; learning that depends on processes which are not directly observable; learning is inferred from the behavior28
10390346290Latent Learningpioneered by Edward Chace Tolman; learning that is not immediate in behavior; knowledge that is used when needed, like riding a bike or using a cognitive map29
10390346291Cognitive Mapexample of a cognitive learning; mental image of a spatial environment that is used to problem solve when stimulated30
10390346292Insightlearning resulting from rapid understanding of all elements of a problem; sudden 'coming together'; an 'A HA' moment31
10390346293Learning Setused by Harry Harlow in an experiment using Rhesus monkeys; ability to become increasingly more effective in solving problems as problems are solved; learning how to learn; Köhler's chimps, Epstein's pigeons32
10390346294Contingency SetRobert Rescorla shock and tone experiment; an "if then" (informative) relationship between stimuli33
10390346295Blockingdetermined by Leon Kamin; when a second stimulus does not elicit desired behavior because behavior occurs with the first stimulus34
10390346296Learned Helplessnessexperiment by Martin Seligman and dogs; when an individual gives up because any behavior causes the same ill result; punishment is unrelated to a child's behavior (in abused families) often develop feelings of powerlessness35
10390346297Social Learning Theorylearning by observing without firsthand experience; often used as an argument against violent video games or immoral television shows.36

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