Psychology Final Chapter 6 Flashcards

Classical Conditioning

• A learning process where a stimulus gains the ability to evoke a response that previously was caused by another stimulus.
• Plays a crucial role in understanding how phobias are acquired and reflexive behaviors are influenced by preceding stimuli.
• Originally termed "Pavlovian Conditioning" after Ivan Pavlov's experiments with dogs.

Pavlov's Discovery

• Pavlov's research on dog saliva during digestion led to the discovery of classical conditioning.
• He observed dogs salivating at the sound of a clicking noise associated with meat powder, indicating learned responses.

Key Concepts in Classical Conditioning

• Acquisition: The phase where a conditioned response is established, influenced by the timing and presence of stimuli.
• Extinction: The process through which a conditioned response diminishes when the conditioned stimulus is presented without the unconditioned stimulus.
• Spontaneous Recovery: The unexpected return of an extinguished response after a time of non-exposure to the conditioned stimulus.
• Stimulus Generalization: When an organism responds similarly to new stimuli that resemble the original conditioned stimulus.
• Stimulus Discrimination: The ability to differentiate between similar stimuli, leading to a specific response only to the original conditioned stimulus.
• Higher Order Conditioning: When a conditioned stimulus evokes a response as if it were an unconditioned stimulus by associating it with another stimulus.

Operant Conditioning

• A learning method where voluntary behaviors are shaped and controlled by their consequences, focusing on what happens after the response.
• B.F. Skinner demonstrated that organisms repeat behaviors that yield favorable outcomes.

Key Concepts in Operant Conditioning

• Reinforcement: An event that follows a response and increases the likelihood of that response being repeated.
• Shaping: The gradual reinforcement of successive approximations of a desired behavior until the behavior is acquired.
• Generalized Stimuli: Similar cues that evoke the same response as the original stimulus.
• Discriminative Stimuli: Signals that influence behavior by indicating potential reinforcement or non-reinforcement outcomes.

Examples of Learning Applications

• Reinforcement examples include studying resulting in better grades, working leading to a paycheck, and extra work earning promotions.
• Operant conditioning illustrated by the relationship between study habits and academic performance, affecting future behavior.