Psychology of Learning
EXP 4404 Spring 2012
Instructor:
Dr. Steve Kass, Professor of Psychology
Office: Pensacola Campus, Bldg 41/ room 230
Class
Meets: Tuesday & Thursday, 11:30 am to 12:45 pm
Classroom:
Bldg 41, Room 134
Office
Hours: M, T, R: 9 am – 11 am. Contact
info: 474-2107 or skass@uwf.edu
Credits:
3 Hours
Prerequisite: PSY 2012; Experimental Psychology (EXP
3082) is highly recommended
Textbook: Learning and Behavior, 6th
edition, by Paul Chance.
Course
Description:
Principles and applications of learning
theories, including conditioning and extinction, reinforcement and punishment,
attention, memory, cognitive processes and physiological correlates of memory
and cognition. It is
preferred that the student has had several other psychology courses. This
course is designed to provide students with a comprehensive overview of the
principles and theories of learning and memory.
Students will be expected to demonstrate proficiency in the use of these
principles through exams, workbook assignments and laboratory reports.
Student
Learning Outcomes:
Students who successfully complete
this course should be able to:
-
Describe
the classical conditioning paradigm and provide examples of its use
-
Describe
the operant conditioning paradigm and provide examples of its use
-
Use
the principles of learning to modify behavior (their own or that of another
animal)
-
Explain
the role of learning as an adaptive mechanism.
-
Describe
and distinguish between the behavioral and cognitive approaches to
understanding learning and memory.
-
Describe
the various research methods used to develop models of conditioning and memory.
-
Describe
the constraints imposed by biology on the nature of learning
Exams:
There will be 3 exams during the semester, with the third one
being a cumulative final given during finals week. Each exam will emphasize the application of text
and lecture material (including movies, demos, etc.), rather than merely
memorization of facts. The format of
each will be multiple choice. Half of the final exam
questions will cover previously tested material and half will cover new
material. The final exam will be worth
twice as much as either of the previous two exams. There will be absolutely no makeup exams without prior
arrangements!
Lab Exercises: Students will be expected to complete, and write lab reports about, two projects. The lab reports must be typed (except where raw data has been written into a table).
Project #1: Basics of Classical and Operant
Conditioning - A Sniffy the Rat demonstration will be given in class. Students will be
provided with questions that they must complete that are based on the in-class
demonstration. It is very important that you be in class that day. Students may work in groups of up to 3, but all members of
the group will receive the same grade.
Project
#2: Behavior Modification Project - Assignment
is described in pages 40-42 of the workbook. 1. You will first operationally
define a behavior that you would like to change (e.g., snacking, studying, TV
watching, exercising). 2. Decide on a technique and explain why you chose
it (e.g., physical restraint, monitoring behavior, positive reinforcement,
negative punishment). 3. Organize materials that you will need (e.g.,
stopwatches, counters, charts). 4. Gather data over a period of at least 2
weeks including at least 2 days of baseline data (keep a daily log). 5. Report
data and graph it using a program such as Excel or by hand. 6. Discuss whether
your plan was successful, if not, why not, what you would do differently in the
future, and what you learned from the exercise.
Workbook
Exercises: Students will complete 10 of the assigned
workbook exercises, each completed exercise is worth
up to 10 points (100 pts total). Students will only need to complete 10
exercises. Exercises must be turned in
by the end of the class period that they are due. Late assignments will NOT be accepted under
ANY circumstances (automatic 0).
Electronic submissions will NOT be accepted. These exercises are
designed to encourage students to read the chapter material before
the class in which it is discussed and to attend class every day. The exercises are to be completed in class
(time permitting). If an exercise cannot
be assigned in class due to time limitations, then it may be assigned as
homework (due the next class period).
The workbook items to be completed will be selected by me on the day
that it is assigned and will correspond to the chapter that is covered that
day. Activities in-class activities may be used instead of the workbook.
Grading:
Grades will be based on the total points earned among students in the
class. That is, the most total points earned by any one student will be
considered 100%. For you to receive an
"A" your total points will need to be at least 93% of the highest
total score. Bonus points may become available throughout the
semester via the Psychology Research Pool.
You may receive up to 6 extra credit points (2 pts for each ArgoPoint awarded) through the SPBS Research Partcipation Pool and no more than 10 total extra credit
points. Please see ArgoPoints Rules document for complete details. Grades
will not be provided via email or phone, you must meet
me in person to receive your grades.
Exam #1 100
Exam #2 100
Final Exam 200
Lab Report 1 100
Lab Report 2 100
Workbook 100
Approx Total 700 pts
|
Grade |
Average |
|
A |
> 93 |
|
A- |
90 - 92 |
|
B+ |
87- 89 |
|
B |
83 - 86 |
|
B- |
80 - 82 |
|
C+ |
77 - 79 |
|
C |
73 - 76 |
|
C- |
70 - 72 |
|
D+ |
67 - 69 |
|
D |
60 - 66 |
|
F |
< 60 |
Class
Rules: 1. No spitting; 2.
Turn off cell phones before entering class, no sending or receiving calls or
text messages during class (automatic F if it occurs during an exam or class
exercise); 3. Be on time to exams, you will be docked 1 pt for every 1 minute
late and will not be permitted to take the test (automatic 0) if you are 10
minutes late; 4. If you do have to leave early for any reason, please minimize
disruption to the class; 5. This is NOT an online class. Although attendance is
not taken, it is mandatory to attend and participate in class (which includes
completion of workbook assignments). All assignments must be turned in to me
during the class period in which it is due.
Assistance: If you have a need for any
in-class accommodations, or special test-taking arrangements because of
physical and/or perceptual limitations, please contact the instructor or the
Psychology Office before class begins or as soon as possible.
Tentative Schedule
|
Date |
Topic |
Read |
|
Jan 10 |
Class
Introduction |
|
|
Jan 12 |
Chapter 1 |
|
|
Jan 17 |
|
|
|
Jan 19 |
Chapter 2 |
|
|
Jan 24 |
|
|
|
Jan 26 |
Chapter 3 |
|
|
Jan 31 |
|
|
|
Feb 2 |
Chapter 4 |
|
|
Feb 7 |
|
|
|
Feb 9 |
Exam #1 |
Chapters 1- 4 |
|
Feb 14 |
Chapter 5 |
|
|
Feb 16 |
TBD |
|
|
Feb 21 |
|
|
|
Feb 23 |
Chapter 6 |
|
|
Feb 28 |
|
|
|
Mar 1 |
Chapter 7 |
|
|
Mar 6 |
|
|
|
Mar 8 |
Chapter 8 |
|
|
Mar 13 |
|
|
|
Mar 15 |
Exam #2 |
Chapters 5 - 8 |
|
Mar 20 |
Spring
Break |
|
|
Mar 22 |
Spring Break |
|
|
Mar 27 |
Lab
Day |
|
|
Mar 29 |
Chapter 9 |
|
|
Apr 3 |
|
|
|
Apr 5 |
Generalization
and Discrimination Lab Report #1 Due - Basics of
Classical and Operant Conditioning
|
Chapter 10 |
|
Apr 10 |
|
|
|
Apr 12 |
Chapter 11 |
|
|
Apr 17 |
|
|
|
Apr 19 |
Chapter 12 |
|
|
Apr 24
|
Lab Report #2 Due -
Behavior Modification Project |
|
|
Apr 26 |
Review for Final - Bring
Questions
|
|
|
May 1
|
Cumulative Final
Exam (11:30 am) |
Chapters 1- 12 |
____________________________________________________________________________
Note: Schedule subject to change at instructor's
discretion.