Introduction to Psychology

Introduction to Psychology Acquisition refers to the period of time during which a response is being learned and involves conditioned stimulus and unconditioned stimulus pairings. Extinction represents the disappearance of the conditioned response when the conditioned stimulus is presented repeatedly without the unconditioned stimulus. After, extinction, spontaneous recovery of the conditioned response may occur when the controlled stimulus is presented after a rest period. Bodily and psychological responses can be classically conditioned, including fears, sexual attraction, positive and negative attitudes, nausea, and immune system responses. Techniques based on classical conditioning are highly successful in treating phobias. Operant Conditioning Is a type of learning in which behavior is influenced by the consequences that follow. Learning the association between behavior and consequences either increases or decreases the frequency of the behavior / response, depending on the quality of the consequence. Thorndike’s law of effect states that responses followed by satisfying consequences are strengthened, whereas those followed by annoying consequences are weakened. Skinner analyzed operant conditioning in terms of antecedents, behaviors, and consequences. Discriminative stimuli are antecedents that signal the likely consequences of particular behaviors in a given situation. Reinforcement Reinforcement occurs when a response is strengthened by its consequences, which always involve something pleasant. It is also accompanied by an increase in the target behavior. The words “positive” and “negative” refer to the type of stimulus. • Positive Reinforcement- A response is strengthened by the subsequent presentation of a stimulus that feels good. • Negative Reinforcement- A response is strengthened by the removal of an aversive stimulus. • Primary Reinforcement- Are stimuli such as food and water, that an organism naturally finds reinforcing because they satisfy biological needs. • Secondary Reinforcement- Stimuli that acquire reinforcing properties through their association with primary reinforcers.

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