HUMAN LEARNING
PSYED 2127/EDUC 2007
FALL, 2014
Instructor: Dr. Roger Klein
Office: Posvar Hall 5945
Office Hours: TH 11:00 ---noon, or by appointment
Email: rklein@ pitt.edu
Note: When emailing please put HUMAN LEARNING in subject box.
Text: None
Course Overview: The purpose of this course is to introduce students to a variety of theories, research
methods, applications, and interventions in the field of learning. We will explore, often through the use of
real-world events and experiences how different researchers contribute to our understanding of learning,
by studying their work in biology, behaviorism, communications, information processing, cognitive, and
social-cognitive psychology. Students will be evaluated in terms of 3 papers and class participation.
Date
Topic
Aug. 28th
Pavlovian (Classical Conditioning) psychology and real-world applications (I).
Videos: Watson, NBC, phobias, Tragedy at Sandy Hook, Resilience
Sept. 4th
Pavlov (II), Social-Cognitive Theory (I), and clinical/educational applications.
Videos: Hurricane Katrina and Race, ESPN, Jackass, Snake-Phobia, virtual
reality, CNN (Skip Rizzo).
Sept. 11th
Body & mind (Psycho-neuro-immunology, or PNI) and the brain.
Videos: **Health and Stress (S. Cohen), *PBS: Unnatural Causes: Is
Inequality Making us Sick? Sneed and Cohen: Volunteering, Social Contacts
and Blood Pressure
Sept. 18th
Social-Cognitive I. The General Aggression Model.
Videos: ESPN, Jackass, phobias, **Snake phobia (Ost),
Penn and Teller , Nightline: Strasburger vs. Ferguson
Sept. 25th
No Class
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Note: Take the IAT race-test & age test online prior to Oct. 2nd class. The URL is
https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/demo/takeatest.html
Click on “proceed” at the bottom of the page and various test options will appear.
Oct. 2nd
Social Cognitive II: Aggression: Theory (General Aggression Model), Research
and Applications
Videos: **IAT(Banaji), 20/20: Sex and Race
Oct. 9th
The Cognitive Revolution I: Strengths, Issues and Problems
PRIOR to class Watch CNN video online discussing a constructivist
approach
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVv5ZL9nlgs
Oct. 16th
The Cognitive Revolution II: Strengths, Issues and Problems
Paper 1 due
Videos: Crisis in schools, *PBS- Making schools work, **Social-Emotional
Learning, (Elias).
Oct. 23rd
Biology and Learning I: Science and applications
Videos: Amnesia, Amazing Brain, Paralyzed man, Fear Conditioning,
Emotional Learning.
Oct. 30th
Biology and Learning II: Practical applications and critique
Videos: Omega III, Issues with Omega III *Then Came Baby, Nightline.
Marcel Just: Cognitive Neuroscience
Nov. 6th
Twin Research: History of the learning/biology controversy.
Videos: Evolutionary Psychology, Babies and Heredity, Twin Research,
Nov. 13th
Operant Conditioning: History, theory and applications
Paper 2 Due
Videos: Killing in the military
Pigeon rescuers, **Reducing pain at the Doctor’s Office (Cohen)
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Nov. 20th
Operant Conditioning: Single subject research design (teacher friendly research
designs you can use)
Nov. 27th
Thanksgiving Holiday
Dec. 4th
Information Processing and learning from broadcast media
Videos: WPXI and others
Dec. 11th
Future Issues in Learning.
Paper 3 Due
Videos: Facial Analysis
NOTE: Cell phones are to be off.
*Videos: Three longer VHS videos: And Then Came Baby, Making Schools Work, and Is
Inequality making us Sick, are on reserve at Hillman Library.
** Two DVD’s entitled Research in Action Videos Vol. 1 & 2, produced by Roger Klein, are also on
reserve at Hillman. There are 55 videos on these 2 DVD’s.
Grading:
Three 7-8 page papers. All papers are based upon the questions listed below. Papers are due Oct. 16th.
Nov. 13th and Dec. 11th. The papers are worth 80% of your grade and class participation is 15% and
attendance is 5%. Papers are graded 50% for content and 50% for clarity and acceptable writing style. If
you are an International Student whose native language is NOT English, paper is graded based
primarily upon content. Links to readings will be sent via email through Course Web and some of these
will be part of class discussion. No material may be introduced that comes from sources outside of
this class OR the Internet, and ALL writing must be in your own words.
Doctoral students in ADP (Applied Developmental Psychology) are to write 9-10 pages, use the
additional references cited, and must select choice # 10 as one option. Any other student can do this
as well, if you choose.
PAPER QUESTIONS:
1. Discuss the issues involved in creating smart babies and other discoveries in brain science. How
does brain science relate to practice (i.e., the claims of the Better Baby Institute)? Discuss several
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class videos including “And Then Came Baby” (also at Hillman)--and the Sowell video (Hillman)
on brain development in childhood and adolescence, what is known about enriched environments,
synapse development and critical periods. Doctoral students also cover Thompson and Nelson.
2. Discuss Pavlov circa 2014. Compare his original work (very briefly) to what is known today
about classroom fears, school phobia, advertising, prejudice, and terrorism. Use the Gigerenzer
and/or Myers articles, as well as video segments on race and hurricane Katrina, woman and
feathers, wolves, & Skip Rizzo on soldiers and PTSD. Doctoral students also cover either Till
and Priluck paper OR the Ohman and Olsson articles (read Ohman first).
3. Examine social cognitive theory using one of the following approaches:
a. Discuss the videos on snake phobia and virtual reality (both at Hillman). Also summarize
the Dingfelder and Winerman articles.
b. Discuss the research presented in class on the General Aggression Model and class
videos on violence in the media (e.g., ESPN, Jackass, etc), and summarize one article by
Olson. Doctoral students also use Gentile.
c. Summarize the article by Huesmann and one by Olson. Or compare Huesmann with
Ferguson (2010).
d. Summarize the 2 articles by Betz and Pajares.
e. Compare the articles by Ferguson (2013, American Psychologist) and Strasberger &
Donnerstein.
4. Have someone take the IAT for race and age. Summarize their results and the articles by Kersting
Plant, and Eberhardt.
5. Summarize the PBS video Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making us Sick (shown in class & @
Hillman), and the articles on PNI. Doctoral students also review article by Pressman.
6. Summarize the video on sexual prejudice (Hillman) and the article by Herek.
7. Summarize the video on stereotype threat (Hillman) and the article by Johns. Doctoral students
also summarize article by Steele.
8. Do one of the following:
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a. Summarize the video on mirror neurons (Hillman) and the articles in the Monitor on
Psychology listed under 8 “d” below.
b. Doctoral students review the Sowell, and Pineda videos, the “Monitor” articles on
mirror neurons, Beck, Thompson and Carey articles.
c. Summarize de Waal video on Chimpanzee Culture (Hillman) and two of his articles
below.
9. Summarize the Crick video on Relational Aggression (Hillman) and her article in Current
Directions in Psychological Science.
10. Summarize, analyze, and critique the article in School Psychology Review on extrinsic
reinforcement in the classroom, and compare it with the article on Bribery from Time Magazine.
Include your reactions and personal experience as an educator (personal exp. not more than 2 pgs
out of 7).
11. Summarize the Elias video on social-emotional learning in the classroom (Hillman) and then
summarize, analyze and critique the article by Elias.
12. Review/critique all 3 of the following: (a) the video on Self Control at Hillman (Baumeister), (b)
the self-control article from the APA website: What you Need to Know about Willpower, and (c)
the article from the January 2012 Monitor on Psychology.
13. Review/critique the 2 articles on Motivation and Learning. Incorporate your personal opinion (not
more than 2 pgs).
14. Review and critique a package of articles/position papers on Direct versus Constructivist
Instructional procedures: Counts as 2 papers. Package will be emailed to class.
15. Design a media psychology survey project for submission to APA as a poster session. Counts as 2
papers. To be discussed in class.
Articles to use for above questions (except # 15). All available though online library at Pitt if
url is not provided:
https://sslvpn.pitt.edu/dana-na/auth/url_default/welcome.cgi
1. Smart babies
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a. Thompson & Nelson, (2001). Developmental science and the media. American
Psychologist, 56, 5-15.
2. Pavlov
a. Till, B, & Priluck, R. (2000). Stimulus generalization in classical conditioning: An
initial investigation and extension. Psychology and Marketing, 17, 55-72.
b. Gigerenzer, G. (2004). Dread risk, September 11, and fatal traffic accidents.
Psychological Science, 15, 286-287.
c. Ohman, A, (2005). Conditioned fear of a face: A prelude to ethnic enmity? Science,
309, 711-712.
d. Olsson, A., Ebert, J., Banaji, M., & Phelps, E. (2005). The role of social groups in the
persistence of learned fear. Science, 309, 785-787.
e. Myers.D. (2004). Do we fear the right things? American Psychological Society
Observer http://www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/1201/prescol.html.
3. Social Cognitive Theory
I. Phobias
a. Winerman. L. (2005). A virtual cure. Monitor on Psychology (July-Aug), pgs. 87-89.
http://www.apa.org/monitor/julaug05/cure.html
b. Dingfelder, S.(2005). Fighting children’s fears, fast. Monitor on Psychology (JulyAug), pgs. 90-91. http://www.apa.org/monitor/julaug05/fighting.html
II. Violent Media
a. Ferguson, C.J. (2013). Violent video games and the Supreme Court. Lessons for the
scientific community in the wake of Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association.
http://www.christopherjferguson.com/SCOTUSPaper.pdf
b. Ferguson, C.J. (2010). The modern hunter-gatherer hunts aliens and gathers power
ups. The evolutionary appeal of violent video games and how they can be beneficial.
Retrieved August 28 2010 from http://www.tamiu.edu/~cferguson/pubs.html
c. Gentile, D., Saleem, M., & Anderson, C. (2007). Public policy and the effects of
media violence on children.
http://www.psychology.iastate.edu/faculty/dgentile/pdfs/GSA_SIPR(2007).pdf
d. Huesmann, L., R. (2007) The impact of electronic media violence: Scientific
theory and research. Journal of Adolescent Health 41, 6, Supplement #1 S6–S13.
e. Olson, C.K. (2010). Children’s motivations for video game play in the context
of normal development. Review of General Psychology,14, 180-187. Retrieved
August 27 2010 from http://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/gpr-142-82.pdf
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Olson, C.K., Kutner, L.A., Baer, L., Beresin, E.V., Warner, D.E., & Nicholi,
f.
A.M. Jr. (2009). M-rated video games and aggressive or problem behavior
among young adolescents. Applied Developmental Science, 13, 188-198.
g. Strasburger, V.C. & Donnerstein, E. (2013). The new media of violent video
games: Yet same old media problems? Connect to Pitt’s Health Sciences
Library,
go
to
journal
called
Clinical
Pediatrics,
then
enter
http://cpj.sagepub.com.pitt.idm.oclc.org/content/early/2013/08/21/000992
2813500340.full.pdf+html
III. Self-Efficacy
a. Betz, N. (2004). Contributions of self-efficacy theory to career counseling: A personal
perspective. The Career Development Quarterly, 52, 340-353.
b. Pajares, F. (2002). Overview of Social Cognitive Theory and of Self-Efficacy.
http://www.emory.edu/EDUCATION/mfp/eff.html
4. Implicit Associations
a. Kersting, K.(2005). Not biased? Monitor on Psychology, March, pg. 64
http://www.apa.org/monitor/mar05/biased.html
b. Plant, E. & Peruche, B. (2005).
The consequences of race for police officers' responses to criminal suspects.
Psychological Science 16 (3), 180-183.
c. Eberhardt, J.L. et al. (2006). Looking deathworthy: Perceived stereotypicality of
Black defendants predicts capital-sentencing outcomes. Psychological Science 17,
383-386.
5. PNI (Psychoneuroimmunology)
d. Adelson, R. (2005). Only the lonely. Monitor on Psychology, 36, 26
http://www.apa.org/monitor/may05/lonely.html
e. Various authors http://www.apa.org/monitor/jun02/index.aspx
f.
Pressman et.al. (2005). Loneliness, social network size and immune response to
influenza vaccination in college freshmen. Health Psychology, 24, 297-306.
http://www.apa.org/journals/releases/hea243297.pdf
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6. Sexual Prejudice
g. Herek, G.M. (2000). The psychology of sexual prejudice. Current Directions in
Psychological Science, 9, 19-22.
7. Stereotype threat
h. Johns, M., Schmader, T., & Martens, A. (2005). Knowing is half the battle.
Psychological Science 16 (3), 175-179.
i. Steele, C.S. (1997). A threat in the air. How stereotypes shape intellectual identity
and performance. American Psychologist, 52, 613-629.
8. Biology, Evolution and Learning
a. Monitor on Psychology, Oct. 2005, pgs. 48-56. Mirror neurons.
http://www.apa.org/monitor/oct05/mirror.html
http://www.apa.org/monitor/oct05/mimicry.html
http://www.apa.org/monitor/oct05/autism.html
b. de Waal, F. (2002) Evolutionary psychology: The wheat and the chaff .Current
Directions in Psychological Science,11 187–191.
c. de Waal, F. B. M. (2005). A century of getting to know the chimpanzee. Nature
437: 56-59.
d. de Waal, F. B. M., Dindo, M., Freeman, C. A., & Hall, M. (2005). The monkey in
the mirror: Hardly a stranger. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 102:
11140-11147.
e. de Waal, F. B. M. (2004). Evolutionary ethics, aggression, and violence: Lessons
from primate research. Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics 32: 18-23.
9. Relational Aggression:
a. Crick, N. R., Casas, J. F., & Nelson, D. A. (2002). Toward a more complete
understanding of peer maltreatment: Studies of relational victimization. Current
Directions in Psychological Science, 11, 98-101.
10. Extrinsic Reinforcement:
a. Extrinsic reinforcement in the classroom: Bribery or best practice? School
Psychology Review, 2004, 33, 344-362.
b. Time magazine April 2010
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1978758,00.html
11. Social Emotional learning:
a. Greenberg, M, O’Brien, U, Zins, J, Resnik, H & Elias, M. (2003). Enhancing
school-based prevention and youth development through coordinated social, emotional,
and academic learning. American Psychologist, 58, 466-474.
12. Self Control:
a. DVD @ Hillman. Self control with Roy Baumeister.
b. http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/willpower.pdf
c. http://www.apa.org/monitor/2012/01/self-control.aspx
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13. Learning and Motivation.
a. Hong, H.-Y., & Lin-Siegler, X. (2011, November 7). How Learning About Scientists'
Struggles Influences Students' Interest and Learning in Physics. Journal of Educational
Psychology. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1037/a0026224
Retrieved 1-5-12 from http://www.pitt.edu/~al/LinJEdP.pdf
b. Lin, X.,& Branford, J. Personal Background Knowledge Influences Cross-Cultural
Understanding Teachers College Record, 112, 1729-1757.
Retrieved 1-05-12 from http://www.pitt.edu/~al/linbransford.pdf
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