Other Definitions
The fundamental process of gaining knowledge or new ideas.
What is Learning?
A form of associative learning in which the consequences of a behavior change the probability of the behavior's occurrence.
What is operant conditioning?
A reinforcer that is innately satisfying; one that does not take any learning on the organism's part to make it pleasurable.
What is a primary reinforcer?
The presentation of a stimulus following a given behavior in order to decrease the frequency of that behavior.
What is positive punishment?
States that behaviors followed by positive outcomes are strengthened and that behaviors followed by negative outcomes are weakened.
What is Thorndike's Law of Effect?
A theory of learning that focuses solely on observable behaviors, discounting the importance of such mental activity as thinking, wishing, and hoping.
What is behaviorism?
Learning process in which a neutral stimulus becomes associated with an innately meaningful stimulus and acquires the capacity to elicit a similar response.
What is classical conditioning?
Specific patterns that determine when a behavior will be reinforced.
What is schedules of reinforcement?
Example : Timeout, getting grounded
What is negative punishment?
The species specific biological predisposition to learn in certain ways but not others.
What is preparedness?
The process of learning to respond to certain stimuli and not others.
What is discrimination?
Learning that occurs when a person observes and imitates behavior.
What is observational learning?
A reinforcer that acquires its positive value through an organism's experience.
What is a secondary reinforcer?
The removal of a stimulus following a given behavior in order to decrease the frequency of that behavior.
What is negative punishment?
The tendency of animals to revert to instinctive behavior that interferes with learning.
What is instinctive drift?
Decreased responsiveness to a stimulus after repeated presentations.
What is habituation?
A form of treatment that consists of repeated pairings of a stimulus with a very unpleasant stimulus.
What is aversive conditioning?
The presentation of a stimulus following a given behavior in order to increase the frequency of that behavior.
What is positive reinforcement?
Example : scolding a spouse who forgot to call when she was running late at the office.
What is positive punishment?
Rewarding successive approximations of a desired behavior.
What is shaping?
The process by which a stimulus or an event following a particular behavior increases the probability that the behavior will happen again.
What is reinforcement?