Theorists
This psychologist studied learning through observation and imitation.
Who is Albert Bandura?
Learning through association between two stimuli.
What is classical conditioning?
Learning based on consequences.
What is operant conditioning?
Infants learn object permanence at this stage.
What is sensorimotor?
The brain's ability to adapt and change.
What is plasticity?
This researcher discovered that dogs could learn to associate a bell with food.
Who is Ivan Pavlov?
Before conditioning, food that naturally causes salivation is this.
What is an unconditioned stimulus (CS)?
Giving a reward to increase behavior.
What is positive reinforcement?
Egocentrism is most common in this stage.
What is preoperational?
This type of brain change happens when you practice something a lot, like learning a sport or an instrument, and your brain gets better at it.
This psychologist believed behavior is shaped by reinforcement and punishment.
Who is B. F. Skinner?
After conditioning, salivating to a bell alone is this.
What is a conditioned response (CR)?
Taking away a bad stimulus to increase behavior.
What is negative reinforcement?
A child realizes that changing the shape of something does not change how much of it there is. This occurs in this stage.
What is the concrete operational stage?
The elimination of unused neural connections.
What is pruning?
A child believes a taller glass has more water than a shorter, wider one, even when the amounts are equal. This error reflects a concept studied by this theorist.
Who is Jean Piaget?
A dog stops salivating to the bell after repeated exposure without food.
What is extinction?
A student studies because they might get a pop quiz at any time.
What is variable interval reinforcement?
The ability to think hypothetically develops in this stage.
What is formal operational?
This process strengthens frequently used neural pathways, making them more efficient.
What is long-term potentiation?
A teen struggling with identity and sense of self is in this stage, according to this theorist.
Who is Erik Erikson?
A child fears all dogs after being bitten by one. This is an example of this.
What is generalization?
A gambler continues playing because wins come unpredictably after many attempts.
What is variable ratio schedule of reinforcement?
A teenager questioning "Who am I?" is in this Erikson stage.
What is identity vs. role confusion?
A child raised without exposure to language struggles to fully develop language skills later. This best illustrates the concept.
What is a critical period?