| A | B |
|---|
| acquisition | the process by which a conditioned response is established or strengthened |
| applied behavior analysis | a procedure for determining the reinforcers that sustain an unwanted behavior and then reducing the reinforcements for the unwanted behavior and providing suitable reinforcers for more acceptable behaviors |
| avoidance learning | learning to make a response that avoids pain or some similar outcome |
| behaviorist | a psychologist who insists that psychologists should study only observable, measurable behaviors, not mental processes |
| belongingness | the concept that certain stimuli are readily associated with each other and that certain responses are readily associated with certain outcomes |
| blocking effect | the tendency of a previously established association to one stimulus to block the formation of an association to an added stimulus |
| chaining | a procedure for developing a sequence of behaviors in which the reinforcement for one response is the opportunity to engage in the next response |
| classical conditioning | the process by which an organism learns a new association between two paired stimuli - a neutral stimulus and one that already evokes a reflexive response |
| conditioned response (CR) | whatever response the conditioned stimulus begins to elicit as a result of the conditioning procedure |
| conditioned stimulus (CS) | a stimulus that comes to evoke a particular response after it is paired with the unconditioned stimulus |
| conditioned taste aversion | the tendency to avoid eating a substance that has been followed by illness when it was eaten in the past |
| continuous reinforcement | reinforcement for every correct response |
| discrimination | In CC it is making different responses to different stimuli that have been followed by different outcomes. In OC, it is learning to respond in one way to one stimulus and a different way to another stimulus. |
| discriminative stimulus | a stimulus that indicates on which occasion a response will produce a certain consequence |
| disequilibrium principle | the idea that an opportunity to engage in any deprived activity will be a reinforcer because it restores equilibrium |
| drug tolerance | the progressively weaker effects of a drug after repeated use |
| escape learning | learning to escape from an event such as shock |
| extinction | In CC, the dying out of the conditioned response after repeated presentations of the conditioned stimulus without the unconditioned stimulus. In OC, the weakening of a response after a period without reinforcement |
| fixed-interval schedule | a rule for delivering reinforcement for the first response that the subject makes after a specified period of time has passed |
| fixed-ratio schedule | a rule for delivering reinforcement only after the subject has made a specific number of correct responses |
| intermittent reinforcement | reinforcement for some responses and not for others |
| intervening variable | something that we infer without directly observing it and that links a variety of procedures to a variety of possible responses |
| law of effect | Thorndike's theory that a response followed by favorable consequences becomes more probable and a response followed by unfavorable consequences becomes less favorable |
| learning curve | a graphical representation of the changes in behavior that occur over the course of learning |
| methodological behaviorist | a psychologist who studies only measurable, observable events but sometimes uses observations to make inferences about internal events |
| negative punishment | a decrease in the future probability of a response because it led to the absence of something such as food |
| negative reinforcement | an increase in the future probability of a response becasue it led to the absence of something such as pain |
| omission training | learning to suppress a behavior that would lead to the omission of an event such as food |
| operant conditioning | a process of changing behaviorf |
| passive avoidance learning | learning to avoid an outcome such as shock by being passive |
| positive reinforcement | strengthening a behavior through the presentation of an event such as food |
| Premack principle | the idea that the opportunity to engage in a frequent behavior will reinforce a less frequent behavior |
| primary reinforcer | an event that is reinforcing because of its own properties |
| punishment | an even that decreases the probability that a response will be repeated |
| radical behaviorist | a behaviorist who denies that internal, private events are causes of behavior |
| reinforcement | an event that increases the future probability of the most recent response |
| reinforcer | an event that follows a response and increases the later probability or frequency of that response |
| schedule of reinforcement | a rule or procedure linking the pattern of responses to the reinforcements |
| secondary reinforcer | an event that becomes reinforcing because it has previously been associated with a primary reinforcer |
| self-efficacy | the perception of one's own ability to perform a task successfully |
| sensitive period | a time early in life during which some kind of learning occurs most readily |
| shaping | a technique for establishing a new response by reinforcing successive approximations |
| skeletal responses | movements of the muscles that move the limbs, trunk, and head |
| social-learning approach | the view that people learn by observing and imitating the behavior of others and by imagining the consequences of their own behavior` |
| spontaneous recovery | the temporary return of an extinguished response after a delay |
| stimulus control | that ability of a stimulus to encourage some responses and discourage others |
| stimulus generalization | In CC, the extension of a conditioned response from the training stimulus to a similar stimuli. In OC, the tendency to make a similar response to a stimulus that resembles one that has already been associated with reinforcement |
| stimulus-response psychology | a field that attempts to explain behavior in terms of how each stimulus triggers a response |
| unconditioned reflex | an automatic connection between a stimulus and a response |
| unconditioned response (UCR) | an automatic response to an unconditioned stimulus |
| unconditioned stimulus (UCS) | a stimulus that automatically elicits an unconditioned response |
| variable-interval schedule | a rule for delivering reinforcement after varying amounts of time |
| variable-ratio schedule | a rule for delivering reinforcement after varying numbers of correct responses |
| vicarious reinforcement (or vicarious punishment) | the observed reinforcement or punishment experienced by someone else |
| visceral responses | activities of the internal organs |
