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Essentials of Psychology
Benjamin B Lahey, University of Chicago

Basic Principles of Learning


avoidance conditioning  Operant conditioning in which the behavior is reinforced because it prevents something negative from happening (a form of negative reinforcement).
classical conditioning  A form of learning in which a previously neutral stimulus (CS) is paired with an unconditioned stimulus (UCS) to elicit a conditioned response (CR) that is identical to or very similar to the unconditioned response (UCR).
cognitive map  (kog´ni-tiv) An inferred mental awareness of the structure of a physical space or related elements.
conditioned response (CR)  A response that is similar or identical to the unconditioned response that comes to be elicited by a conditioned stimulus.
conditioned stimulus (CS)  A stimulus that comes to elicit responses as a result of being paired with an unconditioned stimulus.
counterconditioning  The process of eliminating a classically conditioned response by pairing the conditioned stimulus (CS) with an unconditioned stimulus (UCS) for a response that is stronger than the conditioned response (CR) and that cannot occur at the same time as the CR.
criticism trap  An increase in the frequency of a negative behavior that often follows the use of criticism, reinforcing the behavior it is intended to punish.
delay of reinforcement  The passage of time between the response and the positive reinforcement that leads to reduced efficiency of learning.
disinhibition  (dis´´in-hi-bish´un) A temporary increase in the strength of an extinguished response caused by an unrelated stimulus event.
escape conditioning  Operant conditioning in which the behavior is reinforced because it causes a negative event to cease (a form of negative reinforcement).
extinction  (eks-ting´shun) The process of unlearning a learned response because of the removal of the original source of learning.
fixed interval schedule  A reinforcement schedule in which the reinforcer is given following the first response occurring after a predetermined period of time.
fixed ratio schedule  A reinforcement schedule in which the reinforcer is given only after a specified number of responses.
insight  (in´s?¯t) A form of cognitive change that involves recognition of previously unseen relationships.
learned taste aversion  (ah-ver´shun) Negative reaction to a particular taste that has been associated with nausea or other illness.
learning  Any relatively permanent change in behavior brought about through experience.
modeling  Learning based on observation of the behavior of another.
negative reinforcement  Reinforcement that comes about when the removal or avoidance of a negative event is the consequence of behavior.
operant conditioning  (op´e-rant) Learning in which the consequences of behavior lead to changes in the probability of its occurrence.
partial reinforcement effect  Responses that have been reinforced on variable ratio or variable interval schedules are more difficult to extinguish than responses that have been continuously reinforced.
positive reinforcement  (re¯´´in-fors´ment) Any consequence of behavior that leads to an increase in the probability of its occurrence.
primary reinforcers  Innate positive reinforcers that do not have to be acquired through learning.
punishment  A negative consequence of a behavior, which leads to a decrease in the frequency of the behavior that produces it.
secondary reinforcers  Learned positive reinforcers.
shaping  A strategy of positively reinforcing behaviors that are successively more similar to desired behaviors.
Skinner box  A cage for animals, equipped with a response lever and a food tray dispenser, used in research on operant conditioning.
spontaneous recovery  A temporary increase in the strength of a conditioned response, which is likely to occur during extinction after the passage of time.
stimulus discrimination  The tendency for responses to occur more often in the presence of one stimulus than others.
stimulus generalization  The tendency for similar stimuli to elicit the same response.
unconditioned response (UCR)  An unlearned, inborn reaction to an unconditioned stimulus.
unconditioned stimulus (UCS)  A stimulus that can elicit a response without any learning.
variable interval schedule  A reinforcement schedule in which the reinforcer is given following the first response occurring after a variable amount of time.
variable ratio schedule  A reinforcement schedule in which the reinforcer is given after a varying number of responses have been made.
vicarious punishment  Observed punishment of the behavior of a model, which also decreases the probability of the same behavior in the observer.
vicarious reinforcement  (v?¯-kar´e¯-us) Observed reinforcement of the behavior of a model, which also increases the probability of the same behavior in the observer.