in operant conditioning, a reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response only after a specified time has elapsed. (p. 233)
operant chamber
in operant conditioning research, a chamber (also known as a Skinner box) containing a bar or key that an animal can manipulate to obtain a food or water reinforcer; attached devices record the animal’s rate of bar pressing or key pecking. (p. 229)
positive reinforcement
increasing behaviors by presenting positive stimuli, such as food. A positive reinforcer is any stimulus that, when presented after a response, strengthens the response. (p. 231)
partial (intermittent) reinforcement
reinforcing a response only part of the time; results in slower acquisition of a response but much greater resistance to extinction than does continuous reinforcement. (p. 232)
intrinsic motivation
a desire to perform a behavior effectively for its own sake. (p. 237)
learning
a relatively permanent change in an organism’s behavior due to experience. (p. 215)
associative learning
learning that certain events occur together. The events may be two stimuli (as in classical conditioning) or a response and its consequences (as in operant conditioning). (p. 216)
acquisition
in classical conditioning, the initial stage, when one links a neutral stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus so that the neutral stimulus begins triggering the conditioned response. (p. 220)
continuous reinforcement
reinforcing the desired response every time it occurs. (p. 232)
respondent behavior
behavior that occurs as an automatic response to some stimulus. (p. 228)
