The following is meant as a guideline for your first Theories of Learning exam. Although, anything
discussed in class or reading assignments is potentially on the exam, the guideline below should help.
Chapter 1:
- Know the five schools of behaviorism
- "Little Albert" experiment, set-up, how it fits into Pavlov's classical conditioning
paradigm (UCS, UCR, etc.)
- Cognitive Learning - Tolman and Honzik (1930) experiment with rats forming
cognitive map (Latent Learning)
- Know Bandura's social learning (observational learning) theory, major components,
understand other social learning experiments discussed in class (limitations, etc.)
- Basic difference between Skinner's operant conditioning paradigm and Pavlov's
Chapter 2:
- Know scientific method, continuous cycle, etc. Be able to determine such things as
experimental group, control group, DV, and IV from examples
- Know what control group designs are and be able to determine different basic control
group designs from examples (see p. 65 for one example)
- Know what single-subject designs are and be able to determine these designs from
examples (I put several of these on board; also check pp. 67-76)
- Know basic terminology (see slides from handout #4)
- Know recording methods used (see pp. 56-60)
- Pros and cons of animal Experimentation and APA guidelines concerning this type of
experimentation see handout #6)
Chapter 3:
- Know important classical conditioning terms and elicited behaviors (handout #7)
- Know early Pavlov studies with salivating dogs (handout #7)
- Know simple mechanisms of learning (handout #7)
-Opponent-Process theory of emotion (parachuter's experiment, etc.)
-Appetitive and Aversive stimuli (fetish experiment slides handout #8 and p. 111);
Duffy's Bar experiment, etc.
- Temporal arrangement of stimuli (put these on board)
Chapter 4:
-Know all classical conditioning terms (extinction, generalization, etc. etc.), and how they
fit into Pavlov's model (see slides handout #9)
- Know Kamin's "blocking experiment" – set-up, results, etc. (see slides handout #9)
- Other limitations : overshadowing, latent inhibition (pp. 145-149)
- Know extensions of Pavlov's ideas: Rescorla's second-order conditioning experiments
and sensory preconditioning (see slides handout #9)
- Experimenter neurosis (how it might develop in animal experiments and real world)
- Esysenck theory on introversion and extroversion; Geen's experiments on this (see
slides handout #10); serial killer theory
Chapter 5:
- Stimulus-Substitution Theory, Preparatory-Response Theory, Compensatory-Response
Model ((pp. 168-171 and slides on handout #11)
- Know Siegel's drug tolerance ideas and heroin experiments testing his ideas (p 172 and
slides handout #11)
- McKusker and Brown (1990) alcohol experiment testing Siegel's ideas
- Conditioned taste aversion experiments, preparedness, etc. (see handout #11)
- Other preparedness experiments - Valentine (1930) extends Little Albert with his own
kids
- Testing phobias; Know differences between systematic desensitization and flooding
techniques (handout #12)
- Medical/Mental applications of classical conditioning: allergies, cancer patients,
pedophiles (handout #14); how placebo effect is involved (see p. 201)
- Know Rescorla-Wagner theory (pp.175-178 and handout #15)