PSY 201 - Ch. 6: Learning Flashcards

Learning Concepts

• Learning involves acquiring new and relatively enduring information or behaviors through experiences.
• Major types of learning include associative learning and cognitive learning.

Types of Learning

• Associative learning links events occurring together through conditioning.
• Cognitive learning involves acquiring mental information through observation or language.

Associative Learning Types

• Classical conditioning links stimuli to anticipate events.
• Operant conditioning associates behaviors with consequences.

Classical Conditioning

• Developed by Ivan Pavlov via experiments on dog salivation in response to stimuli.
• Involves linking multiple stimuli where a neutral stimulus becomes associated with an unconditioned stimulus.

Key Terms in Classical Conditioning

• Stimulus: An event that evokes a response.
• Neutral Stimulus: Does not trigger a response prior to conditioning.
• Unconditioned Stimulus: Naturally triggers an unlearned response.
• Unconditioned Response: Unlearned response to an unconditioned stimulus.
• Conditioned Stimulus: Initially irrelevant stimulus that eventually evokes a conditioned response.
• Conditioned Response: Learned response to a previously neutral stimulus.

Processes in Conditioning

• Acquisition: Linking a neutral stimulus with an unconditioned stimulus in classical conditioning; strengthening a response in operant conditioning.
• Extinction: Weakening of a conditioned response when the unconditioned stimulus does not follow the conditioned stimulus or when reinforcement ceases in operant conditioning.
• Spontaneous Recovery: Reappearance of an extinguished conditioned response after a pause.
• Generalization: Responding similarly to stimuli resembling the conditioned stimulus.
• Discrimination: Distinguishing between a conditioned stimulus and other stimuli.

Operant Conditioning

• Behaviors are strengthened by reinforcement and weakened by punishment.
• Operant Behavior: Actions that produce consequences in the environment.
• Law of Effect: Behaviors followed by favorable outcomes increase in likelihood, while those followed by unfavorable outcomes decrease.

Summary of Terms

• Respondent Behavior: Automatic response to a stimulus, primarily linked with classical conditioning.
• Reinforcement: A consequence that strengthens behavior.

These bullet points distill the essential concepts of learning from the provided flashcards, making the material easier to review and understand.