Learning
PSYC 420
Winter 2015
Olds-Upton Room 412
11:50 a.m.-1:05 p.m. MWF
Dr. Robert Batsell
Office: Old-Upton #403 B
Office Hours: 10:30-11:30 MWF (or by appointment)
Office Telephone: 337-7032 [or in case of an emergency: 388-3378]
E-mail: rbatsell@kzoo.edu
Class e-mail: psy420-1@kzoo.edu
Required Texts:
Alloway, T., Wilson, G., & Graham, J. (2012). Sniffy: The virtual rat (Pro
Version 3.0). Wadsworth/Thomson Learning.
Assigned readings (see pages 4 to 6)
I. COURSE SUMMARY
This class is about the Laws of Learning and their effects on behavior.
Historically, scientists and philosophers have attempted to identify the most basic units of
our universe. A physicist might try to isolate an electron or a proton, the chemist hopes to
find a pure chemical element, but does the psychologist have a similar mission? Yes, in
all fields of psychology, the goal of the experimenter is to reduce behavior to its simplest
form; in the area of learning, the psychologist attempts to identify the basic units of
learning, the simple association, and then to identify the laws that determine how those
associations form.
Adult humans frequently forget how basic learning processes underlie all of our complex
behaviors. For instance, learning that touching a hot stove will burn your hand, or that
eating bad fish will make you sick, or that a yellow light signals the impending change to
a red light are all examples of simple learning processes such as classical conditioning
and instrumental conditioning. The goal of this class is to re-introduce students to basic
learning processes. Although most of psychology is based on the complexities of human
behavior, as the previous examples demonstrate the area of learning is based on the
association between an antecedent and its consequence. We will spend the semester
discussing how organisms (both humans and animals) learn that Event 'A' becomes
associated with Event 'B'. We will discuss the factors that promote the formation and
retention of this A-B association and various theories that attempt to explain how
organisms learn about their environment. Furthermore, throughout this course we will
see how our understanding of basic learning processes (either in humans or animals) can
be mapped onto to underlying neurobiological processes, and how they can be used to
provide practical and clinical solutions to complex human problems.
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II. GRADING
There will be a total of 500 points in this class.
90% and above (450 and up total points)
80% and above (400-449 total points)
70% and above (350-399 total points)
60% and above (300-349 total points)
below 60% (below 300 points)
=A
=B
=C
=D
=F
A. Exams: There will be a total of three exams. Two tests will be given during the
quarter and the third (the non-cumulative final exam) will be given when the final
is scheduled. Each exam date is marked on the accompanying class outline and
will be given on that day. Each exam will consist of multiple-choice and shortanswer questions. Short-answer questions require a few paragraphs and any
necessary diagrams/graphs. Each of the exams will be worth 100 points.
B. Sniffy Assignments: Throughout the quarter, students will be required to complete
6 Sniffy units. Four of the Sniffy units are worth 20 points and the other two are worth
10 points. These reports are worth a total of 100 points. See page 7 of this syllabus for
specific Sniffy reports.
C. Written Assignments: An additional 100 points (spread across 5 to 8 assignments)
will come from various out-of-class experiments and group discussion questions. For
example, students will complete a Personalized Behavior Project (PBP) over the second
half of the term. The PBP is worth 50 points; 35 points for the final 2-page report and 15
points for the in-class Powerpoint presentation.
III. ACCOMMODATIONS.
A. Student Athletes. Student athletes who have College permission to miss
classes or tests need to inform the instructor before they miss the assignment.
B. Cultural/Religious Holidays. Kalamazoo College provides reasonable
accommodations for observing religious or cultural holidays (such as Yom Kippur,
Martin Luther King Day, Easter, Cinco de Mayo). Students can be excused from class to
participate in these religious/cultural activities, but they will be responsible for getting all
assignments and turning in course work. Each student is responsible for contacting the
faculty member in a timely manner to arrange for appropriate accommodations.
C. Students with Disabilities. Kalamazoo College provides reasonable
accommodations for students with disabilities. It is the student's responsibility to contact
the office of the Dean of Students/Dean Karen Joshua-Wathel in a timely manner to
arrange for appropriate accommodations.
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IV. CLASS RULES.
A. Honor System. This course will operate in accordance with the Kalamazoo
College Honor System: a responsibility for personal behavior, independent thought,
respect for others, and environmental responsibility. Students who are caught cheating or
plagiarizing will receive a zero for that assignment, will be referred to Student Services,
and may fail the class. Students who download papers or any information from the
Internet without citing the source may receive an F in this course.
B. Attendance. Attendance will not be taken in this class, but students are expected
to attend the scheduled classes.
C. Classroom Behavior. The Kalamazoo College Honor Code applies to classroom
behavior as well as other types of interpersonal interactions on campus;
“respecting others” includes respectful behavior in class. Although Kalamazoo
College is committed to respecting fundamental principles of freedom of speech,
including even controversial positions taken in class, all types of speech and
behavior must be balanced with principles of appropriate classroom behavior. It
is ultimately the faculty member who controls the classroom, and if a situation
develops in which, in the opinion of the faculty member, the class is being
disrupted, the faculty member has the ultimate right to ask a student to leave the
class. Longer-term solutions to these problems will be dealt with according to
College procedures.
D. Electronic Devices. The presence of electronic devices is distracting to the
professor and other students. Cell phones should be silenced before class and inclass texting may be met with sarcasm and ridicule. Also, students are strongly
encouraged to take notes by hand and not by electronic devices/computers.
E. Make-up Policy. If you know that you are going to miss an assignment (test or
paper) for any reason, it is the responsibility of the student to contact the professor
BEFORE the assignment is due. Makeup assignments may not be given if prior warning
(and the professor’s consent) has not occurred.
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LEARNING 2015 Course Outline
SECTION 1:
INTRODUCTION TO BASIC TYPES OF LEARNING
Week 1
Jan 5 (Mon)
Introduction to Learning I
Jan 7 (Wed)
Introduction to Learning II: Non-associative Learning
Jan 9 (Fri)
Introduction to Learning III: Ethics of Animal Research
Barnard, N. D., & Kaufman, S. R. (1997). Animal research is wasteful and misleading.
Scientific American, 80-82.
http://www.kzoo.edu/reserves/psych/420/Botting%20&%20Morrison.1997.pdf
Botting, J. H., & Morrison, A. R. (1997). Animal research is vital to medicine. Scientific
American, 83-85.
http://www.kzoo.edu/reserves/psych/420/Barnard%20&%20Kaufman.1997.pdf
Week 2
Jan 12 (Mon)
Introduction to Classical Conditioning I
Jan 14 (Wed)
Introduction to Classical Conditioning II
Hollands, G. J., Prestwich, A., & Marteau, T. M. (2011). Using aversive images to
enhance healthy food choices and implicit attitudes: An experimental test of
evaluative conditioning. Health Psychology, 30, 195 – 203.
http://www.kzoo.edu/reserves/psych/420/Hollands%20et%20al.2011.pdf
Jan 16 (Fri)
Introduction to Classical Conditioning III
Garcia, J., & Koelling, R. A. (1966). Relation of cue to consequence in avoidance
learning. Psychonomic Science, 4, 123-124.
Week 3
Jan 19 (Mon) Martin Luther King Day – No Class
Jan 21 (Wed)
Conditioned Inhibition
Jan 23 (Fri)
Neurobiology of Fear Conditioning
Vervliet, B., Craske, M. G., & Hermans, D. (2013). Fear extinction and relapse: State of
the art. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 9, 215-248.
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http://www.kzoo.edu/reserves/psych/420/Vervliet%20et%20al.2013.pdf
Week 4
Jan 26 (Mon)
Clinical Applications of Classical Conditioning I
Revusky, S. (2009). Chemical aversion treatment of alcoholism. In S. Reilly & T. R.
Schachtman (Eds.). Conditioned taste aversion: Behavioral and neural
processes, (pp. 445-472). Oxford University Press.
http://www.kzoo.edu/reserves/psych/420/Revusky.2009.pdf
Jan 28 (Wed)
***TEST #1***
SECTION 2: MECHANISMS/ASSOCIATIONS OF CLASSICAL COND.
Week 4
Jan 30 (Fri)
Associations in Classical Conditioning I
Week 5:
Feb 2 (Mon)
Associations in Classical Conditioning II
Roberts, S. (2004). Self-experimentation as a source of new ideas: Ten examples about
sleep, mood, health, and weight. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 27, 227 - 262.
NOTE: For this article, please only read to page 262; omit the commentaries.
http://www.kzoo.edu/reserves/psych/420/Roberts.2004.pdf
Feb 4 (Wed)
Formal Models of Classical Conditioning I
Feb 6 (Fri)
WINTER BREAK: NO CLASS
Week 6:
Feb 9 (Mon)
Formal Models of Classical Conditioning II
Feb 11 (Wed)
Configural Processing
Feb 13 (Fri)
Stimuli in Absentia
Blaisdell, A.P., Leising, K. J., Stahlman, W. D., & Waldmann, M. R. (2009). Rats
distinguish between absence of events and lack of information in sensory
preconditioning. International Journal of Comparative Psychology, 22, 1-18.
http://www.kzoo.edu/reserves/psych/420/Blaisdell%20et%20al.2009.pdf
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Dwyer, D. M., & Burgess, K. V. (2011). Rational accounts of animal behavior? Lessons
from C. Lloyd Morgan’s Canon. International Journal of Comparative Psychology, 24,
349-364.
http://www.kzoo.edu/reserves/psych/420/Dwyer_Burgess_2011_Morgan_Canon.pdf
Week 7:
Feb 16 (Mon)
Classical Conditioning Applications II: Drugs & Food
Siegel, S., Baptista, M. A. S., Kim, J. A., McDonald, R. V., & Weise-Kelly, L. (2000).
Pavlovian psychopharmacology: The associative basis of tolerance. Experimental and
Clinical Psychopharmacology, 8, 276 - 293.
http://www.kzoo.edu/reserves/psych/420/Siegel%20et%20al.2000.pdf
Feb 18 (Wed)
***TEST #2***
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SECTION 3: ANALYSIS OF INSTRUMENTAL CONDITIONING
Feb 20 (Fri)
Introduction to Instrumental Conditioning I
Porter, D., & Neuringer, A. (1984). Music discriminations by pigeons. Journal of
Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes, 10, 138 - 148.
http://www.kzoo.edu/reserves/psych/420/Porter%20&%20Neuringer.1984.pdf
Week 8:
Feb 23 (Mon)
Introduction to Instrumental Conditioning II
Bouton, M. E., Winterbauer, N. E., & Todd, T. P. (2012). Relapse processes after the
extinction of instrumental learning: Renewal, resurgence, and reacquisition.
Behavioural Processes, 90, 130-141.
http://www.kzoo.edu/reserves/psych/420/Bouton%20et%20al.2012.pdf
Feb 25 (Wed)
Responding for Appetitive and Aversive Reinforcers I
Feb 27 (Fri)
Responding for Appetitive and Aversive Reinforcers II
Week 9: THEORETICAL ANALYSIS OF INSTRUMENTAL CONDITIONING
March 2 (Mon) Neurobiology of Instrumental Conditioning
March 4 (Wed)
Theories of Instrumental Conditioning I
March 6 (Fri)
Theories of Instrumental Conditioning II
Gamez, A. M., & Rosas, J. M. (2007). Associations in human instrumental conditioning.
Learning and Motivation, 38, 242-261.
http://www.kzoo.edu/reserves/psych/420/Gamez%20&%20Rosas.2007.pdf
Week 10: APPLICATIONS OF INSTRUMENTAL CONDITIONING
March 9 (Mon) Applications of Instrumental Conditioning I
Kamins, M. L., & Dweck, C. S. (1999). Person versus process praise and criticism:
Implications for contingent self-worth and coping. Developmental Psychology, 35, 835847.
http://www.kzoo.edu/reserves/psych/420/Kamins%20&%20Dweck.1999.pdf
McKean, K. J. (1994). Academic helplessness: Applying learned helplessness theory to
undergraduates who give up when faced with academic setbacks. College Student
Journal, 28, 456-462.
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http://www.kzoo.edu/reserves/psych/420/McKean.1994.pdf
March 11 (Wed)
Applications of Instrumental Conditioning II: Behavioral Therapy
McEachin, J. J., Smith, T., & Lovass, O. I. (1993). Long-term outcome for children with
autism who received early intensive behavioral treatment. American Journal of Mental
Retardation, 97, 359-372.
http://www.kzoo.edu/reserves/psych/420/McEachin%20et%20al.1993.pdf
March 13 (Fri) PRESENTATIONS: PERSONALIZED BEHAVIOR PROJECTS
TEST #3/ FINAL EXAM: To be determined
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Sniffy Lab Exercises
I. CLASSICAL CONDITIONING EXERCISES
Assignment #1 (20 Points):
Exercise 1: Basic Acquisition
Exercise 2: Extinction
Exercise 3: Spontaneous Recovery
NOVEL EXPERIMENT: Reacquisition
Exercise 4 Varying the Strength of the CS
Exercise 5: Varying the Strength of the US
*Note: For this assignment, your report only needs to include Exercises 1-Novel
Experiment, you do not need to include Exercises 4 & 5, but you should run them.
Assignment #2: (10 Points)
Exercise 10: Inhibitory Conditioning
Exercise 11: Inhibitory Conditioning by Summation
Assignment #3: (10 Points)
Exercise 6: Compound Conditioning
Exercise 7: Blocking
Exercise 8: Overshadowing
Assignment #4 (20 Points)
Nature of the Association in C.C./Ch. 11
Exercises 14-18
*Note for this assignment, conduct all of the exercises, but ONLY include 17 and 18
in your lab report.
II. INSTRUMENTAL CONDITIONING EXERCISES
Assignment #5: (20 Points)
Basic I.C. Chp 3 Exercises 22-27
Schedules of Reinforcement Exercises 32-36
*Note for this assignment, conduct all of the exercises, but ONLY include 32-36 in
your lab report.
Assignment #6: (20 Points)
Stimulus Discrimination & Stimulus Generalization Chp. 13
*Note for this assignment, conduct all of the exercises, but ONLY include the
methods and results from the comparisons of the 3 generalization gradients in your
lab report.