AP Psychology Unit Study Guide: Unit VI -- Learning
If you can answer the following questions without salivating all over the paper, you will be positively reinforced with a wonderful grade on the unit test:
 What is “learning”?
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What are the basic differences between classical & operant conditioning with respect to the types of learning involved?
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In classical conditioning, what are the UCS, UCR, NS, CS, & CR?
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In classical conditioning, what is the acquisition period, stimulus generalization, stimulus discrimination, extinction, spontaneous recovery, & “higher-order conditioning”?
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Why/how does extinction occur?
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From an evolutionary standpoint, what are the advantages of stimulus generalization & discrimination?
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What are the characteristics of the three types of timing for classical conditioning, & which creates the strongest association between the NS & the UCS?
 What is Thorndike’s Law of Effect?
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In operant conditioning, what is the acquisition period, stimulus generalization, stimulus discrimination, & extinction?
 In operant conditioning what are “reinforcers”? What effect do they have on response rates for a particular behavior? What is the difference between primary & secondary reinforcers?
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What is the difference between positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, & punishment?
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In order to make punishment more effective at reducing an undesirable behavior, what characteristics should the punishment have?
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What are some of the negative aspects of using punishment to affect behavior?
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What is the difference between escape & avoidance learning, & how does each occur?
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What is learned helplessness, & under what circumstances might it occur?
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What is shaping in operant conditioning, & why is it used?
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What are the various schedules of reinforcement for operant conditioning? Which type(s) create the highest rate of response for a given behavior? Which have the greatest resistance to extinction?
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What effect does the timing between a behavior & its reinforcer have on the likelihood that the behavior will be repeated?
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What is taste aversion? How is a taste aversion generally created, & how does it differ from traditional learning?
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What is preparedness theory, & what role does it play in the development of phobias?
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How do cognitive factors (including signal relations, respone-outcome) affect traditional learning theory?
 How does Bandura’s Social Learning Theory (Observational Learning) interact with classical & operant conditioning to explain how we learn?
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What is vicarious reinforcement, & what role does it play in observational learning?
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What are the key processes of observational learning? What factors affect the likelihood that someone will perform a particular behavior that they have “learned” through observation?
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How does observational learning explain the fact that children who are physically punished are more often aggressive as adults?