Week 4

• reflex


  an inevitable, involuntary response to stimuli
• instinct


  an inborn pattern of behavior elicited by environmental stimuli; also known as a fixed action pattern
• learning

  a relatively permanent change in behavior or the capacity for behavior due to experience
• associative learning

  the formation of associations, or connections, among stimuli and behaviors
• classical conditioning

  a type of learning in which associations are formed between two stimuli that occur sequentially in time
• operant conditioning


  a type of learning in which associations are formed between behaviors and their outcomes
• non-associative learning

  learning that involves changes in the magnitude of responses to stimuli
• habituation

  a simple form of learning in which reactions to repeated stimuli that are unchanging and harmless decrease
• sensitization

  an increased reaction to many stimuli following exposure to one strong stimulus
• observational learning

  learning that occurs when one organism watches the actions of another organism; also known as social learning/modeling
• conditioned stimulus (CS)

  an environmental event whose significance is learned through classical conditioning
• unconditioned stimulus (UCS)


  a stimulus that elicits a response without prior experience
• conditioned response (CR)

  a response learned through classical conditioning
• unconditioned response (UCR)


  a response to an unconditioned stimulus that requires no previous experience
• acquisition


  the development of a learned response
• extinction

  the reduction of a learned response
• in classical conditioning, extinction occurs when

  the unconditioned stimulus (UCS) no longer follows the conditioned stimulus (CS)
• in operant conditioning, extinction occurs when


  the consequence no longer follows the learned behavior
• spontaneous recovery

  during extinction training, the reappearance of conditioned responses (CRs) after periods of rest
• inhibition

  a feature of classical conditioning in which a conditioned stimulus (CS) predicts the nonoccurrence of an unconditioned stimulus (UCS)
• generalization

  the tendency to respond to stimuli that are similar to an original conditioned stimulus (CS)
• discrimination

  a learned ability to distinguish between stimuli
• higher-order conditioning

  learning in which stimuli associated with a conditioned stimulus (CS) also elicit conditioned responses (CRs)
• latent inhibition

  the slower learning that occurs when a conditioned stimulus (CS) is already familiar compared to when the CS is unfamiliar
• aversion therapy

  an application of counterconditioning in which a conditioned stimulus (CS) formerly paired with a pleasurable unconditioned stimulus (UCS) is instead paired with an unpleasant UCS
• systematic desensitization

  a type of counterconditioning in which people relax while being exposed to stimuli that elicit fear
• conditioned reinforcer

  a reinforcer that gains value from being associated with other things that are valued; also known as a secondary reinforcer
• negative reinforcement

  a method for increasing behaviors that allow an organism to escape/avoid an unpleasant consequence
• punishment


  a consequence that eliminates or reduces the frequency of a behavior
• positive punishment


  a consequence that eliminates or reduces the frequency of a behavior
• negative punishment

  a method for reducing behavior by removing something desirable whenever the target behavior occurs
• continuous reinforcement

  reinforcing a behavior every time it occurs
• partial reinforcement

  the reinforcement of a desired behavior on some occasions, but not others
• fixed ratio (FR) schedule

  a schedule of reinforcement in which reinforcement occurs following a set number of behaviors
• variable ratio (VR) schedule

  a schedule of reinforcement in which reinforcement occurs following some variable number of behaviors
• variable interval (VI) schedule

  a schedule of reinforcement in which the first response following a varying period is reinforced
• partial reinforcement effect in extinction

  the more rapid extinction observed following continuous reinforcement compared to that following partial reinforcement
• method of successive approximations

  a method for increasing the frequency of behaviors that never or rarely occur; also known as shaping
• latent learning

  learning that occurs in the absence of reinforcement
• token economy

  an application of operant conditioning in which tokens that can be exchanged for other reinforcers are used to increase the frequency of desirable behaviors