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PSYCHOLOGY STUDY GUIDE: LEARNING
I.
BEHAVIORISTS: CONDITIONING
 CLASSICAL CONDITIONING (Pavlov) - Learner is Passive, behavior is a reflexive
response to a stimulus.
 Unconditioned stimulus (UCS) leads to unconditioned response (UR).
 A neutral, or Conditioned stimulus (CS) is presented repeatedly before the
UCS.
 After repeated pairings, the CS itself leads to the Conditioned response
(CR), usually the same behavior as the UCR.
UCS (FOOD)
CS (BELL)
CS (BELL)
+
UCR (SALIVATION)
UCS (FOOD)
CR (SALIVATION)
UCR (SALIVATION)
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Human examples: Quieting when theatre lights go out, rising when a fire
alarm goes off in school, phobias, food/taste aversion.

OPERANT CONDITIONING (Skinner) - Learner is Active
 Reinforcers & Punishers
 Positive Reinforcement (Increases behavior)
 Negative Reinforcement (Increases behavior)
 Punishment (Decreases behavior) & its drawbacks

Behavioral modification
 Shaping
 Chaining
Schedules of Reinforcement
 Continuous Reinforcement
 Fixed Interval
 Fixed Ratio
 Variable Interval
 Variable Ratio
Extinction & Spontaneous Recovery
Generalization & Discrimination
Primary & Secondary Reinforcers
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II.
SOCIAL LEARNING THEORY (Albert Bandura) - Learning by observing others: may
include vicarious reinforcement (observing another rewarded for a particular
behavior) & vicarious punishment (observing another punished for a particular
behavior).
III.
COGNITIVE LEARNING
 Latent Learning
 Cognitive Maps
IV. THEORISTS and TYPE of LEARNING
o Ivan Pavlov
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B.F. Skinner
Edward Thorndike
Albert Bandura
John B. Watson
John Garcia
V. ADDITIONAL VOCABULARY
o Trial and Error
o Acquisition
o Taste Aversion
o Law of Effect
o Overjustification Effect
o Instinctive Drift