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GRE Psychology: Learning

Subjects : gre, psychology
Instructions:
  • Answer 50 questions in 15 minutes.
  • If you are not ready to take this test, you can study here.
  • Match each statement with the correct term.
  • Don't refresh. All questions and answers are randomly picked and ordered every time you load a test.

This is a study tool. The 3 wrong answers for each question are randomly chosen from answers to other questions. So, you might find at times the answers obvious, but you will see it re-enforces your understanding as you take the test each time.
1. Higher arousal for simple tasks (motivation) - lower arousal for complex tasks (concentration); optimal arousal is an inverted U on a graph - Y-axis: performance - X-axis: arousal - Difficult task --> upside-down U shape - Simple task --> reaches pea






2. Does not produce a specific response on its own (e.g. light or bell)






3. Pairing of the CS and the UCS in which the CS is presented before the UCS - delayed conditioning and trace conditioning






4. People learn through their culture. They learn acceptable and unacceptable behaviours through culture






5. Previous learning makes learning a new task more difficult






6. What a person learns in one state is best recalled in that state






7. Experiment shows that there is electrical stimulation of pleasure centers in the brain used as positive reinforcement - this is evidence against drive-reduction theory






8. later proved experimentally - Classical conditioning






9. Credited with writing first educational textbook in 1903 to assess students and teaching






10. Linking a series of behaviours that result in reinforcement - one behaviour triggers the next (e.g. learning the alphabet)






11. By having an apparatus (e.g. lever) - an animal controls its reinforcements (e.g. food) through behaviours (e.g. pressing) - shaping its own behaviour






12. Previous learning helps learning of another task later






13. Reward or positive event that increases likelihood of a particular response






14. Previous CS now a UCS (e.g.*bell > [ light > food > ] salivation)






15. Medium amount of arousal best for performance






16. Differential reinforcement of successive approximations; Skinner rewarded rats first for being near lever then for touching it - reward for behaviours that brought them closer to the desired one (e.g. pressing lever)






17. Motivated to do what they do not want to do by rewarding themselves afterwards with something they like to do - Eat dessert after eating unwanted vegetable






18. Takes place without reinforcement - knowledge not immediately expressed - e.g. learning while watching chess






19. Ebbinghaus - when learning something new - rate of learning usually changes over time; can be positively or negatively accelerated






20. Fritz Heider'S balance theory - Charles Osgood and Percy Tannenbaum'S congruity theory - Leon Festinger'S cognitive dissonance theory; what about individuals who often seek stimulation - novel experience - or self-destruction?






21. Learning about something in general (history) for knowledge rather than learning-specific stimulus-response chains (e.g. Tolman'S experiments with animals forming cognitive maps of mazes rather than simple escape routes)






22. Operant conditioning






23. Simultaneous - higher-order/second-order - delayed forward - trace forward - backward






24. Most time to learn but least likely to be extinguished; reinforcements are delivered after different numbers of correct responses - ratio cannot be predicted






25. Type of forward conditioning; CS begins before UCS - lasts until the UCS is presented






26. Reinforcement delivered after a consistent number of responses; vulnerable to extinction






27. Type of forward conditioning; CS presented and terminated before UCS presentation






28. Previous CS now a UCS (e.g.*bell > [ light > food > ] salivation)






29. Applied expectancy-value theory to individual behaviour in large organizations (e.g. those lowest on totem pole have least motivation since little incentives)






30. How people learn in educational settings such as student and teacher attributes






31. Learned reinforce - often through society; money - prestige - rewards






32. Decreasing responsiveness to a stimulus due to increasing familiarity






33. Not all correct responses met with reinforcement; slower but more resistant; fixed ratio - variable ratio - fixed interval - variable interval; variable is best because it is unexpected - ratio gives better response since based on # of correct behavi






34. 'learning' that a specific action causes an event - when in reality the two are unrelated






35. Set of characteristics indicative of one'S ability to learn






36. Thorndike - precursor of operant conditioning - Cause-and-effect chain of behaviour; continue what rewards - stop what doesn'T






37. Empty box (with a rat and a lever) - later proved the influence of reinforcement






38. Theory of association






39. Teacher encourages independent learning - only provides assistance when needed






40. John Garcia - Certain associations are learned more easily than others - Nausea & food can be paired easily - but light and nausea cannot be paired






41. Drive to reduce cognitive dissonance - holding conflicting ideas simultaneously whether beliefs - attitudes - or actions


42. Motivation to reduce internal tension - once satisfied - back to homeostasis/ relaxation; against M.E. Olds electrical stimulation of pleasure centres






43. Punishment to decrease likelihood of a behaviour - ex: drug Antabuse to treat alcoholism






44. Naturally occurring response (e.g. salivation to food)






45. Teach to performance a desired behaviour to get away from a negative stimulus






46. School of behaviourism






47. Preparedness - that certain associations are learned more easily than others; animals programmed to make certain connections; Garcia effect - nausea associated with food






48. Reappearance of an extinguished response - even without further conditioning - after the child'S tantrum behaviour has been extinguished - the child may suddenly throw a tantrum again






49. Attitude change - based on balance of 'Sentiment' or liking relationships - if the net affect valence multiplies out to a positive result


50. UCS and CS presented at the same time