PSYC 3225
Psychology of Learning
(3 credit hours)
On-line
John G. Cope, PhD
Summer II, 2014
Office:
110 Rawl Building (328-6497)
e-mail
copej@.ecu.edu
Office Hours: Summer II, 2014,) 08:30 – 09:30 am M-T, and by appointment.
Text:
Illinois.
Lutz, J. (2005). Learning and memory (2nd. Ed). Waveland Press, Long Grove,
Home Page:
http://core.ecu.edu/psyc/copej/cope.html
Syllabus:
3225 Learning Syllabus Online.docx
Supplemental Reading:
TBA
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question(s) may well be answered there.
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Course Objectives:
Content: Students will learn the subject matter of psychology as it relates to theories of learning.
Specifically, the course will concentrate on the understanding of human and animal learning,
with an emphasis on applications in community and organizational settings. The focus will be on
the theoretical underpinnings and practical implications of the “major” models, such as Classical,
Operant, and Social Learning theories, as well as some of the more basic areas of research
concerning habituation, sensitization, and the law of effect. Coverage will also include
information-processing models of memory.
Methods: The course will focus on research-based (empirical) methods and information typically
found in refereed publications, books, and on the web. Students will gain theoretical and
practical information about the subject matter through an understanding of the research methods
used in studying the various topics. Many of the examples used in the book and Power Point
notes have been derived from actual case studies and antidotal information taken from real-world
settings.
Broader Impact: Theories of Learning deal with real-life topics (such as studying) and can have
broad implications for student’s lives while in school and later in the world of work, by focusing
on how information is retained, stored and retrieved.
Course Requirements: The course will be structured around power point presentations
composed of text material, and information from your instructor. You will also be required to
read the assigned chapters in the accompanying text and any material referenced by links on the
power point slides.
As it is an online class, checking Blackboard and email frequently are required. The course is
essentially self-paced, that is you may read the material in whatever order you wish; however,
reading material out of sequence may prove confusing. It is strongly suggested that you pace
your reading according to the order topics are presented in the syllabus.
Your final grade will be determined on the basis of performance on three tests, covering 12 topic
areas (see below). Each test will account for a third of the final grade for the class. Specifically,
each test will consist of 50 multiple-choice items which will represent information provided in
the text and from the power points. The tests will be administered through Blackboard. Final
grades will be computed by averaging the three test scores and adding a curve (if any) to the final
average.
Tests will be released on Blackboard and available from 9:00AM to 11:59PM on the announced
testing day (all tests with the exception of the already designated Final, which occurs on the
posted final-exam day, will be confirmed one week prior to posting. Dates below are
approximate). If you cannot be available for the regularly assigned time please contact your
instructor prior to the test date. Missing a test without prior notification will result in a zero
being entered as a grade (unless you provide written authorization from an official ECU
source).
Discussion boards can be created to facilitate discussion among certain chapters and topics.
The following Grade Distribution will be used in this class to assign final grades.
Grade
Quality Points
10-Point Scale
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
DF
4.0
3.7
3.3
3
2.7
2.3
2
1.7
1.3
1
.7
0
94-100
90-93
87-89
83-86
80-82
77-79
73-76
70-72
67-69
63-66
60-62
Below 60
Syllabus:
Topic List
Chapter
Learning is…
1
Tactics of Behavioral Research
Notes
Simple Forms of Learning
02
Classical Conditioning
03
Test # 1 (Wed., July 09th, 2014)
Operant Conditioning
04
Punishment
05
Reinforcement
06
Generalization and Discrimination
07
Test # 2 (Tuesday July 22nd, 2014)
Social Learning Theory
Notes
Verbal Learning
10
Models of Memory
11
Processing and Remembering
13
Test # 3 (Friday, August 01st, 2014)
Blackboard:
Class materials, announcements, and grades for PSYC 3225/001 are posted online using
Blackboard. It is your responsibility to check Blackboard and your email regularly for
important class information. To enter our course, go to the Blackboard site.
(https://blackboard.ecu.edu/). Click Login and enter your ECU userid and password. If you have
any trouble logging in, contact the ECU IT Help Desk at 252-328-9866. After you login, find
and select this course. Use the toolbar on the left to navigate to the syllabus, power points,
grades, discussion boards, and other useful information and/or tools. If there is any difficulty
using Blackboard, contact the helpdesk as soon as possible as it is vital to your success that you
have access.
Please note that your instructor is not a resource for technical issues with Blackboard or for your
computer.
If you are having problems with your computer, you can take it to the ACE computer support
center in Rawl 108. They will help you set it up properly and resolve any problems you are
having with it.
You have elected to take an online class. By registering for an online class, you have indicated
that you are computer literate and that you have good access to a well-functioning computer with
Internet access. Accordingly, lack of competence or access will not constitute acceptable
excuses for failure to fulfill course requirements.
Table of Contents
Lutz, J. (2005). Learning and memory (2nd. Ed). Waveland Press, Long Grove, Illinois.
1. What Is Learning?
Behaviorist Views of Learning / How Do We Define Learning? / Kimble’s Operational
Definition / An Alternative Definition / Learning vs. Memory / What Is a Stimulus? / What Is a
Response? / S–R Psychology/ Learning from the Information Processing and Cognitive
Neuroscience Viewpoints
2. Habituation and Sensitization: Two Simple Forms of Learning
What Is Habituation? / What Is Sensitization? / Habituation and Sensitization vs. Other Forms of
Learning / Neural Basis of Habituation and Sensitization
3. Classical Conditioning
Pavlov’s Experiments / Extinction (or How Do I Get This Dog to Stop Slobbering? / What Can
Be Conditioned? / Can Fears Be Extinguished?) / How Can We Tell that Conditioning Has
Occurred? / Control Groups / What Influences Classical Conditioning? / Intensity of the US /
Duration of the US / Intensity and Duration of the CS / CS–US Interval / Intertrial Interval /
Practice / Schedules / Novelty of the CS and US / Similarity of the CS and US / Instructions /
Section Review / What Is Being Learned? / Higher-Order Conditioning / Sensory
Preconditioning / Configural Learning / What Causes Learning? / The Rescorla-Wagner Formula
/ Classical Conditioning and the Nervous System / How to Analyze Examples
4. Operant Conditioning
Thorndike’s Experiments / How Many Ways Can You Reinforce? Four Paradigms / Shaping /
Positive Reinforcement / How Can You Tell It’s Been Done? Rates and Other Measures / How
Can You Do It? / Reinforcement as an Independent Variable / The Modification and
Management of Behavior
5. Punishment and Negative Reinforcement
Punishment / Measuring Punishment / Independent Variables Influencing Punishment / Should I
Punish? Skinner’s Objections / What Makes Punishment Work? / Negative Reinforcement / Why
Is Avoidance So Complex? / Theories of Avoidance / Two-Factor Theory / Contingency Theory
/ Species-Specific Defensive Reaction Theory / Learned Helplessness
6. Theories of Reinforcement
What Is Being Learned in Operant Conditioning? / Why Does Reinforcement Work? / DriveReduction Theories / Secondary Reinforcement / Responding as Reinforcement
7. Generalization and Discrimination
Generalization / Control Procedures in Generalization Studies / Independent Variables that
Influence Generalization / What Causes Generalization? / Discrimination / How to Analyze
Generalization and Discrimination Problems
8. A Comparison of Classical and Operant Conditioning
Similarities among the Forms of Learning / Differences between Classical and Operant
Conditioning / Procedural Differences / Systemic Differences / Operant Conditioning of the
Autonomic Nervous System / Interactions of Classical and Operant Conditioning / How to
Recognize Classical or Operant Conditioning
9. The Context of Learning
The Traditional Model of Learning / The Misbehavior of Organisms / Taste Aversion Learning /
The Preparedness Dimension / Animal Cognition / Do Humans Have Instincts?
10. Verbal Learning: The Study of Transfer and Memory
Ebbinghaus and the Serial Anticipation Method / Interference versus Decay / Paired-Associates
Learning / Positive and Negative Transfer / Incidental Learning / Concept Learning
11. Information-Processing Models of Memory
The Stage Model of Memory / The Sensory Register / Pattern Recognition / Short-Term Memory
(STM, or Working Memory) / Coding in STM / Capacity of STM / How Many Parts Does STM
Have? / STM, Consciousness, and Attention / Long-Term Memory (LTM) / Duration of LTM /
Organization and Long-Term Memory
12. Knowledge Representation in Permanent Memory
Episodic vs. Semantic Memory / Hierarchical Organization / Concept Structure / Concepts as
Categories / Spreading Activation and Semantic Priming / Is Memory Reconstructive? Script and
Schema Theories / Feature Comparison Models
13. Processing and Remembering
Levels of Processing / Implicit Memory / Encoding and Control Processes / Rote Rehearsal /
Organization / Chunking / Imagery / Elaboration / Which Memory Model Is Correct?
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