Psychology Chapter 6 Learning Quiz

Learning involves a lasting change in behavior or mental processes as a result of experience. Memorizing facts temporarily, imitating behaviors in the short term, and unconscious reactions to stimuli do not necessarily result in a relatively permanent change in the learner.

Habituation refers to a decrease in response to a stimulus after repeated or prolonged exposure. It is not related to classical conditioning, immediate reactions, or addiction.

Classical conditioning involves learning through associations between stimuli, not trial and error. It is different from operant conditioning where behavior is influenced by consequences. It also does not involve individuals being born with specific behaviors.

An unconditioned response (UR) is a reflexive reaction that occurs automatically in response to an unconditioned stimulus without any prior learning or conditioning. It is not a learned or voluntary response.

Extinction in psychology refers to the diminishing of a learned response when the conditioned stimulus (US) is no longer presented, leading to the weakening or disappearance of the response over time.

Spontaneous recovery refers to the reappearance of a learned behavior after it had been previously extinguished. This typically occurs after a rest period without reinforcement.

The Law of Effect is a fundamental principle in psychology that explains how behaviors are influenced by their consequences, leading to either reinforcement or punishment.

A punisher is specifically defined as a stimulus or event that decreases the likelihood of the behavior that led to it, the other options do not accurately describe a punisher.

The Overjustification Effect refers to the scenario where external rewards reduce the intrinsic satisfaction of performing a behavior.

Shaping involves reinforcing small steps or 'successive approximations' towards a final desired behavior, gradually shaping the behavior through reinforcement.

A Fixed Interval Schedule (FI) involves reinforcements being presented at specific fixed time intervals, contingent upon the correct response. This type of schedule is known for potentially leading to a scalloped response pattern where response rates increase as the scheduled time approaches.

A Fixed Ratio Schedule (FR) is a type of reinforcement schedule in operant conditioning where reinforcement is delivered after a specific number of responses have been made. This encourages high response rates as the individual knows exactly how many responses are required to receive reinforcement.

The Intermittent Reinforcement Effect refers to the phenomenon where operant behaviors that are reinforced intermittently are more resistant to extinction than those that are reinforced continuously.

Latent learning refers to the acquisition of knowledge or skills that is not immediately expressed in an overt response or behavior. It may only become apparent at a later time when a specific need or motivation arises.

A cognitive map refers to a mental representation of the physical features of the environment, allowing individuals to navigate and understand their surroundings.

Observational learning involves acquiring knowledge and skills by observing and imitating others. It is a key component of social learning theory, where individuals learn through modeling the behaviors of others.

Implicit learning refers to the acquisition of knowledge without conscious awareness or intent. It is different from explicit learning, which involves conscious effort and deliberate practice.

An Unconditioned Stimulus (US) is something that naturally triggers a response in an organism without any prior conditioning. It reliably produces a reaction.

A Conditioned Stimulus (CS) is a neutral stimulus that, through association with an unconditioned stimulus, eventually triggers a conditioned response in an organism. It is not biologically innate and does not consistently produce a response until it has been paired with an unconditioned stimulus.

A Conditioned Response (CR) is a learned response to a previously neutral stimulus (CS) that now triggers a reaction similar to the unconditioned response (UR) produced by the unconditioned stimulus (US). This association is a fundamental concept in classical conditioning.

Acquisition is the initial phase of classical conditioning where the conditioned stimulus (CS) and the unconditioned stimulus (US) are presented together to create an association.

Generalization in classical conditioning occurs when a conditioned response is observed in the presence of a stimulus similar to the original conditioned stimulus, even though it is slightly different. This demonstrates the organism's ability to respond to a range of stimuli that share certain qualities with the original conditioned stimulus.

Biological preparedness refers to the idea that humans and animals are inherently predisposed to learn certain types of associations more easily than others due to evolutionary factors.

Operant conditioning focuses on the consequences of behavior rather than associations between stimuli, distinguishing it from classical conditioning.

Operant behavior refers to behavior that is purposeful and intentional, with the potential to impact the environment in some way. It is not necessarily involuntary or automatic, genetically predetermined, or solely driven by rewards and punishments.

Variable Interval Schedule involves reinforcing behavior based on an average time passed since the last reinforcement, not on a fixed number of responses, a fixed time interval, or random time intervals.

Variable Ratio Schedule (VR) is a type of reinforcement schedule in operant conditioning where reinforcement is delivered after a specific average number of responses. This schedule tends to produce high and steady response rates since the individual is uncertain about when the reinforcement will be delivered.

Intermittent reinforcement is a conditioning schedule in which not every response is reinforced. This creates a strong and persistent behavior, as the individual is unsure when they will receive reinforcement.