04 Learning Free Online FlashCards

What is learning?

Learning is a relatively lasting change in behavior or knowledge that results from experience.

What is classical conditioning?

Classical conditioning is learning that one stimulus predicts another.

How are reinforcers and punishers defined?

A reinforcer increases the likelihood of a behavior; a punisher decreases it.

What is observational learning?

Observational learning, or modeling, occurs when people learn by watching others; imitation need not happen immediately.

What is a practical starting point for changing a behavior?

Describe a specific action, identify what tends to happen before and after it, and adjust cues, manageable steps, and reinforcement. Track results and adapt the plan if behavior does not change.

What is a conditioned stimulus (CS)?

A conditioned stimulus is a previously neutral stimulus that, after being paired with an unconditioned stimulus, can elicit a learned response.

What is acquisition in classical conditioning?

Acquisition is learning the association between a conditioned stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus, usually through repeated, appropriately timed pairings.

How does extinction occur in classical conditioning?

Extinction occurs when a conditioned response weakens because the conditioned stimulus is repeatedly presented without the unconditioned stimulus.

What is spontaneous recovery?

Spontaneous recovery is the brief reappearance of an extinguished conditioned response after a pause.

What is negative reinforcement?

Negative reinforcement removes something unpleasant to increase a behavior, such as an alarm stopping when a task is completed.

What is positive punishment?

Positive punishment adds something unpleasant to decrease a behavior, such as a reprimand following a rule violation.

How does shaping develop a complex behavior?

Shaping builds a complex behavior by reinforcing successive steps toward the desired behavior.