Psychology Chapter 8 Flashcards

Key Concepts in Psychology

• Reflex: Involuntary response triggered by stimuli.

• Instinct: Inborn behavioral patterns activated by environmental factors; also referred to as fixed action patterns.

• Learning: Lasting change in behavior resulting from experience.

• Associative Learning: Establishment of connections between stimuli and behaviors.

• Classical Conditioning: Learning process where two sequential stimuli become associated.

• Operant Conditioning: Learning through associations formed between behaviors and outcomes.

• Nonassociative Learning: Changes in response magnitude to a single stimulus without forming associations.

• Habituation: A decrease in response to repeated, non-threatening stimuli.

• Sensitization: Heightened response to a wide range of stimuli following exposure to a strong stimulus.

• Observational Learning: Acquisition of behaviors by watching others.

Key Terms in Conditioning

• Conditioned Stimulus (CS): A learned environmental event linked to a specific response in classical conditioning.

• Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS): A stimulus that naturally produces a response without prior conditioning.

• Conditioned Response (CR): A response learned through association with a conditioned stimulus.

• Unconditioned Response (UCR): Response elicited by an unconditioned stimulus without prior learning.

• Acquisition: The process of developing a learned response.

• Extinction: Reduction in learned responses; in classical conditioning, occurs when CS is presented alone, and in operant conditioning, when reinforcement stops.

• Spontaneous Recovery: Reappearance of conditioned responses after a rest period during extinction training.

Advanced Concepts

• Inhibition: A prediction aspect of classical conditioning where a CS forecasts the absence of a UCS.

• Generalization: Responding similarly to stimuli that resemble the original CS.

• Discrimination: The learned ability to differentiate between different stimuli.

• Higher Order Conditioning: Learning where stimuli connected with a CS also prompt conditioned responses.

• Latent Inhibition: Slower learning when a CS is already known versus being novel.

• Systematic Desensitization: A therapeutic technique where exposure to fear-inducing stimuli occurs while practicing relaxation.

Reinforcement and Punishment

• Conditioned Reinforcer: A secondary reinforcer that derives value from associations with primary reinforcers.

• Negative Reinforcement: Increases behaviors by allowing escape from or avoidance of unpleasant outcomes.

• Punishment: Consequences that diminish the frequency of a specific behavior.

• Positive Punishment: Diminishing a behavior by introducing an aversive stimulus.

• Negative Punishment: Reducing behavior by withdrawing something desirable.

Schedules of Reinforcement

• Partial Reinforcement: Rewarding a behavior occasionally rather than every time.

• Fixed Ratio (FR) Schedule: Reinforcement follows a set number of behaviors.

• Variable Ratio (VR) Schedule: Reinforcement is provided after a variable number of behaviors.

• Fixed Interval (FI) Schedule: Provides reinforcement after the first response following a specific time interval.