Introduction to Psychology

Introduction to Psychology of 97 Spontaneous Recovery- Is the reappearance of a previously extinguished conditioned response after a rest period and without new learning traits. Behavior Modification- Operant conditioning research gave rise to a field called applied behavior analysis, which combines a behavioral approach with the scientific method to solve individual and societal problems. Essentially applied behavior analysts design and implement a program to change behavior, and they measure its effectiveness objectively by gathering data before and after the program is in place. The procedures that are used to change behavior are collectively known as behavior modification. Observational Learning- Is the process by which learning occurs by observing the behavior of a model. This type of learning can be highly adaptive. By observing others, an organism can learn which events are important, which stimuli signal that such events are about to occur, and which responses are likely to produce positive or negative consequences. Humans’ capacity to learn by observation, which is also called modeling, far exceeds other creatures. Bandura’s social-cognitive theory, also known by its former name social-learning theory, emphasizes that people learn by observing the behavior of models and acquiring the belief that they can produce behaviors to influence events in their lives. 5.2 Memory Memory refers to the processes that allow us to record, store, and later retrieve experiences and information. Memory adds richness and context to our lives, but even more fundamentally, it allows us to learn from experience and thus adapt to changing environments. 5.3 Memory as a Reconstructive Process Retrieving information from long-termmemory is not like viewing a digital replay. Our memories are often incomplete or sketchy. We may literally construct or reconstruct a memory by piecing together bits of stored information in a way that seems real and accurate. Eyewitness Testimony- If memories are constructed then information that occurs after an event may shape that construction process. This misinformation effect is known as the distortion of a memory by misleading post-event information. Even one or two words can produce a misinformation effect while questioning an eyewitness. Misinformation effects also occur because of source confusion, also called source monitoring error; our tendency to recall something or recognize it as familiar but to forget where we encountered it. Vulnerability to misinformation effects is greater among younger than older children, and when suggestive questions are asked repeatedly. Experts cannot reliably tell when children are reporting accurate memories versus sincerely believed false memories. Psychologists debate whether or not © 2015 Achieve Page 42