| learning | A relatively permanent change in behavior brought about by experience.
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| classical conditioning | A type of learning in which a neutral stimulus comes to bring about a response after it is paired with a stimulus that naturally brings about that response.
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| neutral stimulus | A stimulus that, before conditioning, does not naturally bring about the response of interest.
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| unconditioned stimulus (UCS) | A stimulus that naturally brings about a particular response without having been learned.
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| unconditioned response (UCR) | A response that is natural and needs no training (e.g., salivation at the smell of food).
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| conditioned stimulus (CS) | A once-neutral stimulus that has been paired with an unconditioned stimulus to bring about a response formerly caused only by the unconditioned stimulus.
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| conditioned response (CR) | A response that, after conditioning, follows a previously neutral stimulus (e.g., salivation at the ringing of a bell).
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| extinction | A basic phenomenon of learning that occurs when a previously conditioned response decreases in frequency and eventually disappears.
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| spontaneous recovery | The reemergence of an extinguished conditioned response after a period of rest and with no further conditioning.
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| stimulus generalization | A process in which, after a stimulus has been conditioned to produce a particular response, stimuli that are similar to the original stimulus produce the same response.
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| stimulus discrimination | The process that occurs if two stimuli are sufficiently distinct from one another that one evokes a conditioned response but the other does not; the ability to differentiate between stimuli.
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| operant conditioning | Learning in which a voluntary response is strengthened or weakened, depending on its favorable or unfavorable consequences.
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| reinforcement | The process by which a stimulus increases the probability that a preceding behavior will be repeated.
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| reinforcer | Any stimulus that increases the probability that a preceding behavior will occur again.
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| positive reinforcer | A stimulus added to the environment that brings about an increase in a preceding response.
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| negative reinforcer | An unpleasant stimulus whose removal leads to an increase in the probability that a preceding response will be repeated in the future.
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| punishment | A stimulus that decreases the probability that a previous behavior will occur again.
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| schedules of reinforcement | Different patterns of frequency and timing of reinforcement following desired behavior.
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| continuous reinforcement schedule | Reinforcing of a behavior every time it occurs.
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| partial (or intermittent) reinforcement schedule | Reinforcing of a behavior some but not all of the time.
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| fixed-ratio schedule | A schedule by which reinforcement is given only after a specific number of responses are made.
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| variable-ratio schedule | A schedule by which reinforcement occurs after a varying number of responses rather than after a fixed number.
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| fixed-interval schedule | A schedule that provides reinforcement for a response only if a fixed time period has elapsed, making overall rates of response relatively low.
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| variable-interval schedule | A schedule by which the time between reinforcements varies around some average rather than being fixed.
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| shaping | The process of teaching a complex behavior by rewarding closer and close approximations of the desired behavior.
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| behavior modification | A formalized technique for promoting the frequency of desirable behaviors and decreasing the incidence of unwanted ones.
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| cognitive learning theory | An approach to the study of learning that focuses on the thought processes that underlie learning.
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| latent learning | Learning in which a new behavior is acquired but is not demonstrated until some incentive is provided for displaying it.
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| observational learning | Learning by observing the behavior of another person, or model.
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