Psychology Chapter 7

Study Notes

Learning and Behavioralism

Learning is a relatively permanent change in behavior or knowledge resulting from experience, as individuals notice patterns and make adaptations.
Behavioralism is the psychology subdiscipline that emphasizes learning and conditioning, asserting that all behavior is learned and cognition is irrelevant.

Genetic Influence on Learning

Species with a higher capacity for learning typically show less biological or instinctual control over behavior, allowing for greater environmental adaptation.

Ivan Pavlov and Classical Conditioning

Ivan Pavlov was a Russian physiologist who pioneered research into learned behavior and classical conditioning in the early 1900s.
His discovery of classical conditioning arose from observing dogs' salivation responses before food was presented.

Discovery of Classical Conditioning Process

Pavlov initially studied gastric functions in dogs and observed anticipatory salivation (UCR) before food delivery.
He paired a tuning fork (CS) with meat powder (UCS) repeatedly; eventually, the dogs salivated (CR) upon hearing the tuning fork alone.

Classical Conditioning Overview

Classical conditioning is a learning process through the association of an environmental stimulus with a naturally occurring stimulus, aiding in future anticipation.

Components of Classical Conditioning

Key components include:
- Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS): a stimulus that naturally evokes a response.
- Unconditioned Response (UCR): the natural response to the UCS.
- Conditioned Stimulus (CS): a previously neutral stimulus that becomes associated with the UCS.
- Conditioned Response (CR): the learned response to the CS after conditioning.

Description

Explore key concepts from Chapter 7 of your psychology course with these flashcards. This chapter focuses on the basics of learning, conditioning, and the behavioralism subdiscipline. Test your understanding and reinforce your knowledge in psychology.