Classical Conditioning
In classical conditioning, a stimulus that elicits no response before conditioning.
Neutral Stimulus (NS)
An event that tends to decrease the behavior that it follows.
Punishment
A mental representation of the layout of one’s environment.
Cognitive Map
Positive, constructive, helpful behavior. The opposite of antisocial behavior.
Prosocial Behavior
The ability to control impulses and delay short-term gratification for greater long-term rewards.
Self-Control
The initial stage when one links a neutral stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus so that the neutral stimulus begins triggering the conditioned response.
Acquisition
An innately reinforcing stimulus, such as one that satisfies a biological need.
Primary Reinforcer
A desire to perform a behavior effectively for its own sake.
Intrinsic Motivation
Frontal lobe neurons that some scientists believe fire when performing certain actions or when observing another doing so. The brain’s mirroring of another’s action may enable imitation and empathy.
Mirror Neurons
An Operant Chamber is also known as a...
Skinner Box
An organism’s decreasing response to a stimulus with repeated exposure to it.
Habituation
An operant conditioning procedure in which reinforcers guide behavior toward closer and closer approximations of the desired behavior.
Shaping
The hopelessness and passive resignation an animal or human learns when unable to avoid repeated aversive events.
Learned Helplessness
The process of observing and imitating a specific behavior.
Modeling
A sudden realization of a problem’s solution.
Insight
The reappearance, after a pause, of an extinguished conditioned response.
Spontaneous Recovery
Thorndike’s principle that behaviors followed by favorable consequences become more likely, and that behaviors followed by unfavorable consequences become less likely.
Law of Effect
Learning that occurs but is not apparent until there is an incentive to demonstrate it.
Latent Learning
Name one of the characteristics of someone we are most likely to imitate when it comes to behavior.
Similar to ourselves, successful, admirable
John B. Watson
A procedure in which the conditioned stimulus in one conditioning experience is paired with a new neutral stimulus, creating another (often weaker) conditioned stimulus.
Higher-Order Conditioning (Second-Order Conditioning)
In operant conditioning, a reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response after an unpredictable number of responses.
Variable-Ratio Schedule
The perception that you control your own fate.
Internal Locus of Control
Canadian-American psychologist responsible for the development of social learning theory.
Albert Bandura
In operant conditioning, a reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response only after a specified time has elapsed.
Fixed-Interval Schedule