AP Psychology - Learning

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What is generalization in psychology?

Back

Generalization is the tendency to respond to stimuli that are similar to the conditioned stimulus. For example, if a dog is conditioned to salivate at the sound of a bell, it may also salivate at similar sounds.

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What is vicarious conditioning?

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Vicarious conditioning occurs when an individual learns to respond emotionally to a stimulus by observing another individual’s emotional response to that stimulus.

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In Watson’s experiment with 'Little Albert', what was the conditioned stimulus?

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The conditioned stimulus was the white rat, which became associated with a loud noise that frightened Little Albert.

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What is classical conditioning?

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Classical conditioning is a learning process in which a neutral stimulus becomes associated with a meaningful stimulus, leading to a learned response.

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What does it mean for a conditioned stimulus (CS) to predict an unconditioned stimulus (UCS)?

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For conditioning to occur, the CS must reliably predict the occurrence of the UCS, meaning the CS should come before the UCS and signal its arrival.

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What is habituation?

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Habituation is a decrease in response to a stimulus after repeated presentations, indicating that the organism has learned to ignore the stimulus.

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What is acquisition in the context of classical conditioning?

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Acquisition is the initial stage of learning when a response is first established and gradually strengthened.

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What is the role of reinforcement in learning?

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Reinforcement is any consequence that strengthens the behavior it follows, increasing the likelihood of that behavior being repeated.

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What is the difference between a conditioned response (CR) and an unconditioned response (UR)?

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A conditioned response (CR) is a learned response to a previously neutral stimulus, while an unconditioned response (UR) is an automatic, natural reaction to an unconditioned stimulus.

Front

What is the significance of the 'Little Albert' experiment?

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The 'Little Albert' experiment demonstrated that emotional responses could be conditioned and generalized to other stimuli, illustrating the principles of classical conditioning.