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GRE Psychology Subject Test
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GRE Psychology Subject Test GRE Psychology Subject Test GRE Psychology Subject Test
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GRE Psychology Subject TestLearning - ANS The relatively permanent or stable change in behavior as the result of experience
E.L. Thorndike - ANS This man suggested the law of effect, precursor of operant conditioning.
Law of Effect - ANS E.L. Thorndike's idea that postulated a cause-and-effect chain of behavior revolving
around reinforcement. Any behavior that is followed by reward is likely to be repeated. One followed by
unpleasant consequences is likely to be stopped.
Kurt Lewin - ANS This man developed the theory of association, forerunner of behaviorism.
Theory of Association - ANS Organisms associate certain behaviors with certain rewards and certain cues
with certain situations. Precursor to Pavlov's Classical Conditioning.
Ivan Pavlov - ANS He is famous for work on digestion. Developed Classical Conditioning.
Classical/ Pavlovian Conditioning - ANS A concept that involves teaching an organism to respond to a
neutral stimulus by pairing the neutral stimulus with a not-so-neutral stimulus.
John B. Watson - ANS He founded the school of behaviorism. He believed that everything can be
explained by stimulus-response chains and that conditioning was the key factor in developing these
chains. ONLY OBJECTIVE and OBSERVABLE elements were of importance to organisms and psychology.
B.F. Skinner - ANS This man developed operant conditioning.
,Operant Conditioning/ Instrumental Conditioning - ANS This concept of behavior being influenced
primarily by reinforcement. The Skinner Box was used to develop this idea: to condition rats to perform
an unnatural behavior--pressing the lever in the skinner box.
Neutral Stimulus - ANS A stimulus that does not produce a specific response on its own.
Unconditioned Stimulus - ANS Without conditioning, this stimulus elicits a response.
Conditioned Stimulus - ANS The neutral stimulus once it has been paired with the UCS.
Unconditioned Response - ANS The naturally occurring response to the UCS.
Conditioned Response - ANS The response that the CS elicits after conditioning. Often times, it is the
same as the UCR.
Simultaneous Conditioning - ANS A conditioning technique where the UCS and the CS are presented at
the same time.
Higher Order/ Second-Oder Conditioning - ANS A conditioning technique in which a previous CS now
acts as a UCS.
Forward Conditioning - ANS A conditioning technique in which the CS is presented before the UCS
Delayed Conditioning - ANS The presentation of the CS begins before that of the UCs and lasts until the
UCS is presented.
Trace Conditioning - ANS The CS stimulus is presented and terminated before the UCS is presented.
,Backward Conditioning - ANS A conditioning technique in which the CS is presented after the UCS is
presented. It proves to be ineffective. Produces an inhibitory conditioning effect.
Shaping/ Differential Reinforcement of Successive Approximations - ANS A process where the
experimenter gradually molds an organism by reinforcing any responses similar to the desired response.
Primary Reinforcement - ANS Something that is reinforcing on its own without the requirement of
learning. Ex. Water and Food.
Secondary Reinforcement - ANS A learned reinforcer, often learned through society. Ex. Money
Positive Reinforcement - ANS A type of reward or positive event acting as a stimulus that increases the
likelihood of a particular response.
Negative Reinforcement - ANS Reinforcement through the removal of a negative event.
Continuous Reinforcement Schedule - ANS A schedule where every correct response is met with some
form of reinforcement. This type of reinforcement strategy facilitates the quickest learning but most
fragile learning (as soon as the rewards stop coming, the animal stops performing).
Partial Reinforcement Schedule - ANS In this schedule, not all correct responses are met with
reinforcement. This type of reinforcement strategy may require a longer learning time, but once
learned, these behaviors are more resistant to extinction. There are four types of this schedule.
Fixed Ratio Schedule - ANS A partial reinforcement schedule where a reinforcement is delivered after a
consistent number of responses. The power of drug addiction has been proven using this schedule. The
behavior is vulnerable to extinction.
, Variable Ratio Schedule - ANS In this partial reinforcement schedule, reinforcements are delivered after
different numbers of correct responses. The ratio cannot be predicted. Learning takes the most time to
occur, but the learning is least likely to become extinguished. Ex. Slot Machines
Fixed Interval Schedule - ANS A partial reinforcement schedule where rewards come after the passage
of a certain period of time rather than the number of behaviors. This schedule does little to motivate an
animal's behavior.
Variable Interval Schedule - ANS A partial reinforcement schedule where rewards are delivered after
differing time periods. It is the second most effective strategy in maintaining behavior.
Token Economy - ANS An artificial mini-economy where individuals are motivated by secondary
reinforcers. Desirable behaviors are reinforced with tokens, which can be cashed in for more primary
reinforcers.
Primary/ Instinctual Drive - ANS A drive that an individual can be naturally motivated by, such as hunger
or thirst.
Secondary/ Acquired Drive - ANS A drive that is learned to motivate an individual, such as money.
Exploratory Drive - ANS A drive where individuals are motivated simply to try something new or to
explore their environment.
Fritz Heider's Balance Theory, Charles Osgood & Percy Tannenbaum's Congruity Theory, Leon Festinger's
Cognitive Dissonance Theory, & Hull's Drive Reduction Theory - ANS These theories assert that humANS
are primarily motivated to maintain physiological or psychological homeostasis. Argument against these
theories: Individuals often seek out stimulation, novel experience, or self-destruction.
Clark Hull - ANS The man who proposed that performance=Drive x habit.
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