Learning

• What does learning refer to?

  Permanent change in behavior from experience
• How is learning distinguished from other behavioral changes?

  It results from practice or experience
• What is habituation?

  Behavioral change due to continuous exposure
• What is the difference between learning and performance?

  Learning is inferred; performance is observed
• What is classical conditioning?

  Learning through pairing stimuli
• What is a conditioned stimulus (CS)?

  A neutral stimulus paired with an unconditioned stimulus
• What does the CS predict in classical conditioning?

  The occurrence of the unconditioned stimulus (UCS)
• What is operant conditioning?

  Learning through consequences of behavior
• What is positive reinforcement?

  Positive consequence increases behavior probability
• What are primary reinforcers?

  Innately reinforcing stimuli
• What are secondary reinforcers?

  Learned through classical conditioning
• What are the four schedules of reinforcement?

  • Fixed ratio
  • Variable ratio
  • Fixed interval
  • Variable interval
• What is shaping in operant conditioning?

  Reinforcing progressively similar responses
• What is negative reinforcement?

  Removal of a negative event increases behavior
• What is punishment in learning?

  Aversive consequence reduces behavior frequency
• What is stimulus discrimination?

  Response more likely with specific stimulus present
• What is stimulus generalization?

  Responding similarly to similar stimuli
• What is extinction in learning?

  Unlearning due to removal of learning cause
• What is observational learning?

  Learning by observing and imitating others
• Who proposed the social learning theory?

  Bandura
• What is verbal learning?

  Learning through words about objects and events
• What are the methods to study verbal learning?

  • Paired-associates learning
  • Serial learning
  • Free recall
• What are determinants of verbal learning?

  Meaningfulness, time, and category clustering
• What is a concept in learning?

  Category of features connected by rules
• What are natural concepts?

  Ill-defined and difficult to learn categories
• What are artificial concepts?

  Well-defined categories with precise rules