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Learning - AP Psych Flashcards

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5563424084habituationDef: learning not to respond to a stimulus Example: no longer noticing the loud train horn in your neighborhood0
5563439270mere exposure effectDef: preferring something simply because you've already been exposed to it Example: choosing Herbal Essence shampoo because you recognize it from a commercial1
5563452884behavioral learningDef: a category of learning that includes classical and operant conditioning and is referred to in terms of stimulus and response Example: Learning to walk, speak, or do math would all be types of behavioral learning2
5563475558classical conditioningDef: when a reflex becomes associated with a neutral stimulus and then takes on the ability to elicit the same response Example: Pavlov pairing a tone with salivation and the dog learning to associate a tone with food3
5563497389neutral stimulusDef: any stimulus that produces no conditioned response prior to learning Example: a color, a noise, a fabric4
5563511971unconditioned stimulus (UCS)Def: the stimulus that elicits an unconditioned response Example: food5
5563516631unconditioned response (UCR)Def: the response elicited by an UCS without prior learning Example: salivating6
5563523850conditioned stimulus (CS)Def: previously the neutral stimulus; once it's paired with the UCS, it becomes the CS Example: a color, a noise, a fabric7
5563542376conditioned response (CR)Def: the response elicited by a previously neutral stimulus and is now associated with the CS Example: salivating8
5563559057acquisitionDef: the initial learning stage in which the organism displays the CR when exposed to the CS Example: salivating occurs when the tone is presented, after it's been paired with food9
5563568402extinctionDef: the weakening of the CR when the UCS is removed Example: Presenting just the tone without the food over a period of time will weaken the salivating response10
5563601182spontaneous recoveryDef: the reappearance of an extinguished conditioned response after a time delay Example: once the tone no longer produces salivation, you can wait a period of time and then reintroduce the tone. Chances are, salivation will reoccur11
5563639082Ivan Pavlovthe scientist who discovered classical conditioning; did the famous experiments with dogs, food, a tone, and salivation12
5563653293stimulus generalizationDef: the extension of a learned response to a similar stimulus Example: If the pitch of the bell at school changed but still sounded close enough to the original, it would produce the same response of everybody packing up to leave.13
5563666717stimulus discriminationDef: not producing the same response to a stimulus that is similar Example: If the sound of the bell at school quite a bit longer or shorter than normal, it probably wouldn't produce the same packing up behavior. Instead, students would look at each other and wonder what's going on.14
5563685853experimental neurosisDef: a pattern of erratic behavior resulting from a learning task that it too difficult, usually one that involves aversive or painful stimuli Example: When Pavlov's dogs couldn't tell the difference between a circle and an ellipse, they were shocked. That difficult learning task and those shocks led the dogs to snap and bite their handlers.15
5563710252Little Alberta case study of a little boy who was conditioned by John Watson to be afraid of furry objects; this case has recently been called into question16
5563734074taste-aversion learningDef: a biological tendency for an organism to learn, after one experience, to avoid a food if eating is followed by illness Example: I threw up once after eating cottage cheese, so now it makes me nauseous just thinking about it, and I won't ever eat it again.17
5563763174operant conditioningDef: the likelihood of a response happening again depends on the consequences (rewards or punishments) of the behavior Example: learning to obey curfew to avoid having the car taken away18
5563784153law of effectDef: the idea that behavior that produced rewards would be learned by the organism; first proposed by Edward Thorndike Example: a hungry animal would work to solve a problem in order to obtain a food reward19
5563798437B.F. SkinnerAmerican psychologist who popularized the concept of operant conditioning; used an operant chamber or Skinner box to give animals reinforcers or punishment based on their behavior20
5654081296reinforcerDef: a condition that occurs after a response and strengthens that response Example: a kid whines until he gets candy, so he's more likely to whine the next time to get candy again21
5563815140positive reinforcementDef: something presented after a response to increase the likelihood of that response Example: Giving a dog a treat for sitting will increase the likelihood it will sit again.22
5563825337negative reinforcementDef: the removal of an unpleasant stimulus Example: Using an umbrella removes wetness; therefore, umbrella using behavior is likely to happen again Special note: this is not the same as punishment; don't let the word negative make you think it's bad. Think of negative as in math terms - something unpleasant is being taken away.23
5654070336operant chamberDef: an apparatus that can be programmed to deliver reinforcers and punishers based on an animal's behavior; also called a Skinner box24
5654118067continuous reinforcementDef: a type of reinforcement schedule by which all correct responses are reinforced Example: Make sure your dog gets a food treat each and every time it sits. Use this method when teaching a new trick or concept, so the organism gets consistent feedback that it's doing the behavior correctly25
5654132112intermittent reinforcementDef: a type of reinforcement schedule by which some, but not all, correct responses are reinforced; also called partial reinforcement Example: After your dog learns to sit by command, you might only give it a food treat every once in awhile; it no longer needs constant reinforcement26

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