Term
| Define learning and memory. Be prepared to distinguish between the two. |
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Definition
-Memory: The ability to store and retrieve information over time
-Learning: Some experience that results in a relatively permanent change in the state of the learner |
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Term
| Describe classical conditioning. |
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Definition
| -When a neutral stimulus evokes a response after being paired with a stimulus that naturally envokes a response |
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Term
| Distinguish between the unconditioned stimulus (US), conditioned stimulus (CS), unconditioned response (UR), and conditioned response (CR). Be prepared to apply this knowledge to an example question |
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Definition
-Unconditioned stimulus- something that reliably produces a naturally occurring reaction
-Conditioned stimulus: stimulus that is initially neutral and produces no reliable response
-Unconditioned response: reflexive reaction that is reliably elicited by an unconditioned stimulus
-Conditioned response: reaction that resembles (UR) but is produce by a conditioned stimulus |
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Term
| Define and be prepared to apply acquisition, second-order conditioning, extinction, and spontaneous recovery. |
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Definition
-Acquisition- phase of classical conditioning when the CS and the US are presented together
- Second-order conditioning: Conditioning where the US is a stimulus that acquired its ability to produce learning from an earlier procedure in which it was used as a CS
-Extinction: gradual elimination of a learned response that occurs when the US is no longer presented
-Spontaneous recovery: tendency of a learned behavior to recover from extinction after a rest period |
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Term
| Discuss how stimulus generalization and stimulus discrimination occur in classical conditioning. |
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Definition
-Generalization: process in which the CR is observed even though the CS is slightly different from the original one used during acquisition
-Discrimination: capacity to distinguish between similar but distinct stimuli |
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Term
| Describe the events surrounding the experience of Little Albert, paying close attention to the way this case study supports behaviorists’ view of conditioned emotional responses. |
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Definition
| -a US (loud sound) was paired with a CS (presence of the rat) such that the CS all by itself was sufficient to produce the CR (a fearful reaction) |
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Term
| Define operant conditioning. Be able to define law of effect, and explain how it contributes to operant conditioning. |
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Definition
-Operant conditioning: a type of learning in which the consequences of an organism’s behavior determine whether it will be repeated in the future
-Law of effect: principle that behaviors that are followed by a “satisfying state of affairs” tend to be repeated and those that produce an “unpleasant state of affairs” are less likely to be repeated. |
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Term
| Distinguish between reinforcers and punishers in operant conditioning. |
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Definition
-Reinforcers: any stimulus or event that functions that increase the likelihood of the behavior that led to it.
-Punisher: any stimulus or event that functions to decrease the likelihood of the behavior that led to it. |
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Term
| Discuss how extinction, stimulus generalization, and stimulus discrimination occur in operant conditioning. |
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Definition
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Term
| Explain how schedules of reinforcement impact learning and extinction. Specifically, explain what would happen under each of the four (fixed interval, fixed ratio, variable interval, and variable ratio) schedules. |
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Definition
-Fixed interval schedule (FI): an operant conditioning principle in which reinforcements are presented at fixed time periods, provided that the appropriate response is made.
-Variable interval schedule (VI): an operant conditioning principle in which behavior is reinforced based on a average time that has experied since the last reinfocement
-Fixed ratio schedule: operant conditioning principle in which reinforcement is delivered after a specific # of responses have been made
-Variable ratio schedule: operant conditioning principle in which the delivery of reinforcement is based on a a particular average # of responses |
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Term
| Explain how the shaping of successive approximations to a desired behavior can eventually produce the behavior. |
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Definition
| -learning that results from the reinforcement of successive approximations to a final desired behavior |
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Term
| Explain how observational learning can occur in humans, noting especially the research on learning aggressive responses. |
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Definition
| -learning takes place b watching the actions of others |
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Term
| Define implicit learning, and discuss how it differs from explicit learning. |
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Definition
-Implicit learning: learning that takes place largely independent of awareness of both the process and the products of information acquisition
-Explicit learning: |
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Term
| Define and be prepared to apply habituation. |
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Definition
| -A general process in which repeated or prolonged exposure to a stimulus results in a gradual reduction in responding |
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Term
| Define memory, encoding, storage, and retrieval. |
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Definition
-Memory: ability to store and retrieve information over time
-Encoding: process by which we transform what we perceive, think or feel into an enduring memory
-Storage: process of maintaining information in memory over time
-Retrieval: process of bringing to mind information that has been previously encoded and stored |
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Term
| Discuss the distinctions between elaborative encoding, visual imagery encoding, and organizational encoding. |
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Definition
-Elaborative encoding: process of actively relating new information to knowledge that is already in memory
-Visual imagery encoding: process of storing new information by converting it into mental pictures
-Organizational encoding: the act of categorizing information by noticing the relationships among a series of items |
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Term
| Describe the sensory memory store and distinguish between iconic memory and echoic memory. |
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Definition
-Iconic memory: a fast-decaying store of visual information
-Echoic memory: a fast-decaying store of auditory information |
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Term
| Describe the short-term memory store. Explain how rehearsal and chunking can increase the effective size of our short-term memory Describe the long-term memory store. Be prepared to distinguish between anterograde amnesia and retrograde amnesia. |
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Definition
-Rehersal: process of keeping information in short-term memory by mentally repeating it
-Chunking: combining small pieces of information into larger clusters or chunks that are more easily held in short-term memory
-Anterograde amnesia: inability to transfer new information from the short-term store into the long-term store
-Retrograde amnesia: inability to retrieve information that was acquired before a particular date, usually the date of an injury or operation |
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Term
| Describe how sensory input travels through the sensory memory, short term memory, and long-term memory stores. Be familiar with figure 5.8. |
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Definition
Rehearsal
I
Sensory Input – Sensory Memory – Short-Term Memory – Long-Term Memory
I I I I
Trash Trash Trash Trash |
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Term
| Describe long-term potentiation (LTP). |
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Definition
| -enhanced neural processing that results from the strengthening of synaptic connections |
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Term
| Identify the areas of the brain that are associated with various aspects of memory. |
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Definition
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Term
| Be comfortable with what your book calls “The Seven Sins of Memory”. Be able to define each, and be able to pick out examples of each. |
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Definition
-Transience: forgetting what occurs with the passage of time
-Absentmindedness: lapse in attention that results in memory failure
-Blocking: failure to retrieve information that is available in memory even though you are trying to produce it
-Memory misattribution: assigning a recollection or an idea to the wrong source
-Suggestibility: tendency to incorporate misleading information from external sources into personal recollections
-Bias: distorting influences of present knowledge, beliefs, and feelings on a recollection of previous experiences
-Persistence: intrusive recollection of events that we wish we could forget |
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Term
| Be able to describe the Ronald Cotton case and discuss what it tells us about eyewitness memory. (Video) |
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Definition
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