Chapter 6
Learning
By Boundless
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Ivan Pavlov's research on classical conditioning profoundly informed the psychology of learning and the field of behaviorism.
Research has demonstrated the effectiveness of classical conditioning in altering human behavior.
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Thorndike's law of effect states that behaviors are modified by their positive or negative consequences.
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B. F. Skinner was a behavioral psychologist who expanded the field by defining and elaborating on operant conditioning.
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Shaping is a method of operant conditioning by which successive approximations of a target behavior are reinforced.
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Reinforcement and punishment are principles of operant conditioning that increase or decrease the likelihood of a behavior.
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Reinforcement schedules determine how and when a behavior will be followed by a reinforcer.
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Latent learning occurs without any obvious conditioning or reinforcement of a behavior, illustrating a cognitive component to learning.
Observational learning occurs from watching, retaining, and replicating a behavior observed from a model.
Insight learning occurs when a new behavior is learned through cognitive processes rather than through interactions with the outside world.
How we learn and incorporate information is directly influenced by psychology and is a key subject of interest for educational psychologists.
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Special-education programs are designed to help children with disabilities obtain an education equivalent to their non-disabled peers.