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Chapter 5
vocab words for chapter 5 domjan
37
Psychology
Undergraduate 4
03/23/2015

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Term
accidental reinforcement
Definition
an instance in which the delivery of a reinforcer happens to coincide with a particular response, even though that response was not responsible for the reinforcer presentation; also called adventitious reinforcement; considered to be responsible for superstitious behavior
Term
adventitious reinforcement
Definition
same as accidental reinforcement
Term
appetitive stimulus
Definition
a pleasant or satisfying stimulus that can be used to positively reinforce an instrumental response
Term
aversive stimulus
Definition
an unpleasant or annoying stimulus that can be used to punish an instrumental response
Term
avoidance
Definition
an instrumental conditioning procedure in which the instrumental response prevents the delivery of an aversive stimulus
Term
behavioral contrast
Definition
change in the value of a reinforcer produced by prior experience with a reinforcer of a higher or lower value; prior experience with a lower valued reinforcer increases reinforcer value (positive) and prior experience with a higher valued reinforcer decreases reinforcer value (negative)
Term
belongingness
Definition
the idea, originally proposed by Thorndike, that an organism's evolutionary history makes certain responses fit or belong with certain reinforcers; this facilitates learning
Term
conditioned reinforcer
Definition
a stimulus that becomes an effective reinforcer because of its association with a primary or unconditioned reinforcer; also called secondary reinforcer
Term
contiguity
Definition
the occurrence of two events, such as a response and a reinforcer, at the same time or very close together in time; also called temporal contiguity
Term
differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO)
Definition
an instrumental conditioning procedure in which a positive reinforcer is periodically delivered only if the participant does something other than the target response
Term
discrete-trial procedure
Definition
a method of instrumental conditioning in which the participant can perform the instrumental response only during specified periods, usually determined either by placement of the participant in an experimental chamber or by the presentation of a stimulus
Term
escape
Definition
an instrumental conditioning procedure in which the instrumental response terminates an aversive stimulus
Term
free-operant procedure
Definition
a method of instrumental conditioning that permits repeated performance of the instrumental response without intervention by the experimenter
Term
instinctive drift
Definition
a gradual drift of instrumental behavior away from the responses required for reinforcement to species-typical responses related to the reinforcer and to other stimuli in the experimental situation
Term
instrumental behavior
Definition
an activity that occurs because it is effective in producing a particular consequence of reinforcer
Term
interim response
Definition
a response that has its highest probability in the middle of the interval between successive presentations of a reinforcer, when the reinforcer is not likely to occur
Term
latency
Definition
the time between the start of a trial (or start of a stimulus) and the instrumental response
Term
law of effect
Definition
a mechanism of instrumental behavior, proposed by Thorndike, which states that if a response (R) is followed by a satisfying event in the presence of a stimulus (S), the association between the stimulus and the response (S-R) will be strengthened; if the response is followed by an annoying event, the S-R association will be weakened
Term
learned-helplessness effect
Definition
interference with the learning of new instrumental responses as a result of exposure to inescapable and unavoidable aversive stimulation
Term
learned-helplessness hypothesis
Definition
the proposal that exposure to inescapable and unavoidable aversive stimulation reduces motivation to respond and disrupts subsequent instrumental conditioning because participants learn that their behavior does not control outcomes
Term
magazine training
Definition
a preliminary stage of instrumental conditioning in which a stimulus is repeatedly paired with the reinforcer to enable the participant to learn to go and get the reinforcer when it is presented
Term
marking procedure
Definition
a procedure in which the instrumental response is immediately followed by a distinctive event (the participant is picked up or a flash of light is presented) that makes the instrumental response more memorable and helps overcome the deleterious effects of delayed reinforcement
Term
negative punishment
Definition
same as omission training or differential reinforcement of other behavior
Term
negative reinforcement
Definition
an instrumental conditioning procedure in which there is a negative contingency between the instrumental response and an aversive stimulus; if the instrumental response is performed, the aversive stimulus is terminated or canceled
Term
omission training
Definition
an instrumental conditioning procedure in which the instrumental response prevents the delivery of a reinforcing stimulus
Term
operant response
Definition
a response that is defined by the effect it produces in the environment; examples include pressing a lever and opening a door
Term
positive reinforcement
Definition
an instrumental conditioning procedure in which there is a positive contingency between the instrumental response and an appetitive stimulus or reinforcer; if the participant performs the response, it receives the reinforcer
Term
positive punishment
Definition
same as punishment
Term
punishment
Definition
an instrumental conditioning procedure in which there is a positive contingency between the instrumental response and an aversive stimulus; if the participant does not perform the instrumental response, it does not receive the aversive stimulus
Term
response-reinforcer contingency
Definition
the relation of a response to a reinforcer defined in terms of the probability of getting reinforced for making the response as compared to the probability of getting reinforced in the absence of the response
Term
response shaping
Definition
reinforcement of successive approximations to a desired instrumental response
Term
running speed
Definition
how fast an animal moves down a runway
Term
secondary reinforcer
Definition
same as conditioned reinforcer
Term
superstitious behavior
Definition
behavior that increases in frequency because of accidental pairings of the delivery of a reinforcer with occurrences of the behavior
Term
temporal contiguity
Definition
same as contiguity
Term
temporal relation
Definition
the time interval between an instrumental response and the reinforcer
Term
terminal response
Definition
a response that is most likely at the end of the interval between successive reinforcements that are presented at fixed intervals
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