Chapter 6

partial reinforcement

a reward that occurs after some, but not all, occurrences of a behavior

classical conditioning

after the repeating pairing of a uncoditioned stimulus that elicits an unconditioned response and a neutral stimulus, the previously neutral stimulus can come to elicit the same respone as the uncoditioned stimulus

generalization

the tendency for similar stiumuli to evoke the same response

discrimination

a conditioned response will not occur for all possible stiumuli, - learn the difference between stimuli

extinction

the frequency of the organism's producing a response gradually decreases when the response behavior is no longer followed by the reinforcement

behaviorism

John Watson emphasizing the study of observable behavior

systematic desensitization

gradually extinguishing a phobia by causing the feared stimulus to become dissociated from the fear response

reinforcement

strengths a behavior and increases the likelihood of repeating the bahvior in the future

law of effect

Edward Thorndike's concpet that the consequence of a behavior will either strenthen or weaken the behavior

operant conditioning

Skinner's term for changing of behavior by manipulating its consequences

shaping

undifferntiated operant behaviors are gradully changed into a desired behavior pattern by the reinforecment of successive approx - > resembles the target behavior

skinner box

enclosure in which an experiemtner can shape the behavior of an animal by controlling reinforcement and accurately measuring the responses of the animal

negative reinforcement

an aversive event that ends if a behavior is preformed, making it more likelu for that behavior to occur in the future

radical determinism

the belief that all human behavior is cuased and that humans have no free will

habits

Clark Hull's association between a stimulus and a response

primary drive

Hull's motivator of behavior, specifically hunger, thirst, sex, or pain

social learning theory

Dollard and Miller's theory that proposes that habits are built up in terms of a hierarchy of secondary drives

habit hierarchy

learned hierarchy of likelihood that a person will produce particular responses in particular situations

secondary drives

drives that are learned by association with the satisfaction of primary drives

approach- approach conflict

Dollard and Miller's term for conflict in which a person is drawn to two equally attractive forces

approach - aviodance conflict

Dollard and Miller's term for conflict between primary and secondary drives that occurs when a punishment results in the conditioning of a fear response to a drive

aviodance- avoidance conflict

Dollard and Miller's term for to describe two equally undesirable choices

frustration- aggression hypothesis

the theory that aggression is the result of blocking or frustrating, a person's efforts to attaina goal

act frequency approach

assessing personality by examining the frequency with which a person preforms certain observable actions