LEARNING AND MEMORY
.
Instructor:
Office:
Laboratory:
Office Hours:
Phone:
Email:
Required texts:
Duane Jackson, Ph.D.
MMM- room 224
NMM - room 224
M-W-F: 12-2
404-681-7564
djackson@morehouse.edu
Gluck, M., Mercado, E., & Myers, C. (2013), Learning and Memory: From
Brain to Behavior 2nd Editio, Worth Publishers
Course Description
This course is an empirical and theoretical examination of the processes of learning and memory. The course
will look at the origin and history of concepts and theories in learning and memory. For learning the focus will
be on habituation, classical and operant conditioning and behaviorist approaches. Although, most of the
research findings will come from animal experiments, the relevance of these findings and concepts to
understanding human behavior will be discussed. For memory the focus will primarily be on human memory
and cognition. Students will be introduced to artificial intelligence and neural networks. Also the course will
look at the role of neuroscience on learning and memory.
Course Objectives
1. Students will be able to explain the historical influences on the scientific study of learning and memory.
2. Student will be able to describe general principles of learning and memory as they relate to human and
non-human adaptations.
3. Students will be able to describe the role of biology on learning and memory.
4. Student will be able to identify the principles of learning and memory in everyday life.
5. Student will understand and be able to use correctly the jargon of learning and memory.
Course Requirements
There will be three exams (100 points for each exam -- lowest exam score is dropped), five quizzes (25 points
for each quiz—lowest quiz score is dropped) Research\Design paper (45 points), one take home assignment (25
points) and a final exam (200 points). As a result of the fact that the lowest exam is dropped, if you miss an
exam, for any reason that will be your dropped exam. You will only be allowed to take a make-up exam if you
meet all of the following criteria -- 1) you have missed an exam (missed not failed) 2) you have a written
excuse from the dean 3) you take the exam within five school days after you return to school. If you have
missed a second exam and cannot meet these criteria, I strongly suggest you drop the course. There is no
make-up for quizzes. There is no individual extra credit, the only time extra credit is possible is when every
individual in the class has the same opportunity to earn extra credit.
Grading
Grades will be based on the total number of points earned on the two top exams, one take-home assignment,
Research/Design paper, and the final exam. Your final grade will be determined by adding up the total number
of points you have earned (maximum possible, excluding possible extra credit, is 570 points).
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ASSIGNMENT
TWO TOP EXAMS
FOUR TOP QUIZZES
RESEARCH\DESIGN PAPER
TAKE-HOME ASSIGNMENT
FINAL EXAM
TOTAL
MAXIMUM POSSIBLE APPROXIMATE %
POINTS EARNED
OF FINAL GRADE
200
35.1%
100
17.5%
45
7.9%
25
4.4%
200
35.1%
570
100%
LETTER GRADE
TOTAL EARNED POINTS
BASE %
A
513-570
90.0%
A504-512
88.5%
B+
490-503
86.0%
B
456-489
80.0%
B447-455
78.5%
C+
433-446
76.0%
C
399-432
70.0%
C390-398
68.5%
D+
376-389
66.0%
D
342-375
60.0%
F
BELOW 342
BELOW 60.0%
Only two things may deviate from the above scale, the lower limit of "C" (399 points) may become slightly
lower based on overall class performance and students 2 points (not percentage points), or less below the lower
limit of the next highest grade may receive the next highest grade, based on their individual performance.
TAKE HOME ASSIGNMENT
For your take home assignment you will be given a series of experiments in which you will compute the
associative strength using the Rescorla-Wagner model.
RESEARCH DESIGN/PAPER
When you take Exam I, You will randomly pick a theory/principle in which your Research/Design paper will be
based on. This paper will consist of two sections -- a research section and a design section.
Research Section
You must find the paper in which the theory/principle first appeared in the literature. Give the names of the
author(s), title and source of the paper. You must explain the theory/principle and find five papers which
support this theory/principle. Discuss each of these papers in detail. Next answer the following questions, 1)
Was the theory/principle accepted immediately? 2) Were their opposing theories that were displaced by this
theory/principle? 3) Is the theory/principle still in its original form or has it been modified or replaced since its
initial conception?
Design Section
For the second part of your paper you must design an experiment that would test a prediction of the theory.
Your experiment must contain a question, hypothesis, method section, and even though you will not actually do
the experiment, you should have a result section that contains what you think the results would be. Finally you
should have a conclusion section. For the method section, identify the dependent and independent variables.
NOTE:
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When discussing a paper, in detail, in the Research Section, be sure to answer the following questions.
1. WHAT WAS THE QUESTION?
2. WHAT WAS THE HYPOTHESIS?
3. WHAT WAS THE METHOD?
4. WHAT WERE THE INDEPENDENT AND DEPENDENT VARIABLES?
4. WHAT WERE THE RESULTS?
5. WHAT WAS CONCLUDED?
This paper will be turned in electronically using Turnitin. The text of the paper should be between 8-12 pages,
you must also have a separate reference page. This paper is due 11.14.12 by 3:00 PM. If you turn it in after 3:00
pm 11.14.12 but before 3:01 PM on 11.15.12 then 10% will be deducted from you grade. After that it is zero.
SCHEDULE
READING
TOPIC
WEEK
ASSIGNMENT
LEARNING
INTRODUCTION AND BASIC CONCEPTS
TO LEARNING & MEMORY
8.21
8.26
CH. 1
A. 1
NEUROSCIENCE, LEARNING & MEMORY
9.2
CH. 2
9.9
HABITUATION & SENSITIZATION
9.16
CH. 3
9.23
A. 2
****EXAM I CH. 1-3, A. 1- 2 AND LECTURES, WEEK OF 9.30*****
CLASSICAL CONDITIONING &
THE RESCORLA-WAGNER MODEL
9.30
10.7
CH. 4
A. 3& 4
INSTRUMENTAL CONDITIONING &
OPERANT CONDITIONING
10.14
10.21
CH 5,
A. 5-7
****EXAM II CH. 4 & 5, A. 3-7 AND LECTURES, WEEK OF 10.28*****
MEMORY
INTRODUCTION TO MEMORY
10.28
A. 8-9
EPISODIC AND SEMANTIC MEMORY
11.4
CH. 7
SKILL MEMORY
11.11
CH. 8
*** EXAM III - WEEK OF 11.18 CH. 7 & 8, A. 8-9 & LECTURES***
WORKING MEMORY & COGNITIVE CONTROL
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11.18
CH. 9
11.25
12.2
A. 10-12
CH = chapters in your text book, A = Articles listed below.
REGARDING YOUR FINAL EXAM, 50% OF YOUR QUESTIONS WILL COME FROM EXAMS I-III,
QUIZZES 1-5 AND THE REMAINING 50% WILL COME FROM CH. 9, & A. 10-12
Articles
1. Garcia, J. & Koelling, R. (1966). Relation of Cue to Consequence in Avoidance Learning. Science, 4,
123-124. (Reprinted in B. Schwartz (Ed.), Psychology of Learning: Readings in Behavior Theory [pp.
83-86] New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.
2. Leaton, R.N. (1974). Long-term retention of the habituation of lick suppression in rats. Journal of
Comparative and Physiological Psychology, 87, 1157-1164. (Reprinted in N. Martin (Ed.), Directed
Readings for The Principles of Learning & Behavior 2nd Edition [pp. 15-22]. Monterey, California:
Brooks/Cole Publishing Company.
3. Pavlov, I. (1927). Conditioned reflexes: An investigation of the physiological activity of the cerebral
cortex-Lecture II, Translated by G. V. Anrep (1927). Reprinted in Classics in the History of Psychology
an internet resource developed by Christopher D. Green York University, Toronto, Ontario. Retrieved
from http://psychclassics.yorku.ca/ Pavlov/ lecture2.htm
4. Rescorla, R. (1968). Probability of shock in the presence and absence of CS in fear conditioning.
Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology, 66, 1-5. (Reprinted in N. Martin (Ed.), Directed
Readings for The Principles of Learning & Behavior 2nd Edition [pp. 44-48]. Monterey, California:
Brooks/Cole Publishing Company.
5. Thorndike, E. L. (1910). The contribution of psychology to education. The Journal of Educational
Psychology, 1: 5-12.
6. Turner, C. (1913) Behavior of the common roach, Periplaneta orientalis on an open maze. Biological
Bulletin, 25:348-365.
7. Skinner, B. F. (1935). Two types of conditioned reflex and a pseudotype. Journal of General
Psychology, 12, 66-77. Reprinted in Classics in the History of Psychology an internet resource
developed by Christopher D. Green York University, Toronto, Ontario. Retrieved from
http://psychclassics.yorku.ca/ Skinner/Twotypes/twotypes.htm
8. Ebbinghaus, H. (1964) Memory: A contribution to experimental psychology (H. A. Ruger & C. E.
Bussenius, Trans.) New York: Dover. (Original work published 1885). [ Chapter III- Method of
investigation, 22-34] Reprinted in Classics in the History of Psychology an internet resource developed
by Christopher D. Green York University, Toronto, Ontario. Retrieved from http://psychclassics.
yorku.ca/ Ebbinghaus/memory3.htm
9. Emmanuel O. Onifade, Duane M. Jackson, Tina R. Chang, Cheryl Allen & Jerry Thorne, (2011). Recall
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and the Serial Position Effect: The Role of Primacy and Recency on Accounting Students’
performance. Academy of Educational Leadership Journal Vol. 15, 65-87.
10. Miller, G. A. (1956). The magical number seven, plus or minus two: Some limits on our capacity for
processing information. Psychological Review, 63, 81-97. Reprinted in Classics in the History of
Psychology an internet resource developed by Christopher D. Green York University, Toronto, Ontario.
Retrieved from http://psychclassics.yorku.ca/Miller/
11. Minami, H. & Dallenbach, K. M. (1946). The effect of activity upon learning and retention in
cockroach, Periplaneta americana. American Journal of Psychology 59, 1-58.
12. Rovee-Collier, C., Sullivan, M., Enright, M., Lucas, D. & Fagen, J. (1980). Reactivation of infant
memory. Science, 208, 1159-1161. (Reprinted in N. Martin (Ed.), Directed Readings for The Principles
of Learning & Behavior 2nd Edition [pp. 173-177]. Monterey, California: Brooks/Cole Publishing
Company.
Morehouse College is committed to equal opportunity in education for all students, including those with documented disabilities.
Students with disabilities or those who suspect they have a disability must register with the Office of Disability Services (“ODS”) in
order to receive accommodations. Students currently registered with the ODS are required to present their Disability Services
Accommodation Letter to faculty immediately upon receiving the accommodation. If you have any questions, contact the Office of
Disability Services, 104 Sale Hall Annex, Morehouse College, 830 Westview Dr. S.W., Atlanta, GA 30314, (404) 215-2636, FAX:
(404) 215-2749.
A syllabus is not a contract between instructor and student, but rather a guide to course procedures. The instructor reserves
the right to amend the syllabus when conflicts, emergencies or circumstances dictate. Students will be duly notified.
Thought for the semester:
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No Pain, No Gain