Psychology 210 COURSE INFORMATION
2012-2013
Dr. Ed Pencer

TEXTBOOK:    B.R. Herganhahn and Matthew Olson. An Introduction to Theories of Learning, 9th ed. (earlier editions are fine)

Note: This outline is meant to be considered in conjunction with the study questions you have received. Together they represent a complete outline of this course.

NOTE: There are many editions to this book out there. All are equally suitable. However, because they are different I can’t specifically point to the chapters or portions of chapters to read in each module, below. This is not really problematic however. Simply search out the appropriate material (by name of Theorist or by topic) in each of the book versions.

MODULE 1 INTRODUCTION TO LEARNING

• Why study learning at all
• Early notions about learning (historical antecedents)
• The beginnings of contemporary learning theory (early schools)
• Empiricism versus rationalism
• A look at reductionism
• Definitions of learning and exclusions to our definition
• The effects of repeated stimulation
• Habituation/Sensitization: fundamental changes in behavior resulting from experience
• Problems facing learning theories
• Issues in learning theories
• The characteristics of a good theory
• Different views of extinction

MODULE 2 THORNDIKE'S CONNECTIONISM

• The nature of trial and error learning
• Thorndike's laws and subordinate laws
• The spread of effect
• Links between Thorndike's work and  modern concepts
• The concept of "belongingness" its contemporary significance and its contrast with equipotentiality
• Response constraints on learning  - a contemporary view

MODULE 3 PAVLOVS CLASSICAL CONDITIONING

• Pavlov's experiments
• The vocabulary of classical conditioning
• Temporal relationships in classical conditioning
• Studies of inhibition
• Pavlov's physiology
• Post - Pavlovian developments in classical conditioning
• Recent research on classical conditioning:

o Is the CR like the UCR

o Overshadowing and blocking

o Pseudoconditioning

o Contingency vs contiguity

o Learned helplessness

o Interoceptive conditioning and conditioning of the immune system

o The Rescorla-Wagner theory of classical conditioning

o The Kamin-Wagner theory of classical conditioning

o MacKintosh's theory of classical conditioning

o Bolles cognitive view of classical conditioning

MODULE 4 WATSON'S BEHAVIORIS

• Denial of law of effect
• Watson and mental activities
• The "invention" of implicit S-R sequences
• Watson and emotion
• The little Albert study
• Belongingness revisited - Bregman's replication of the little Albert study
• Watson's impact

MODULE 5 GUTHRIE'S CONTIGUITY LEARNING

• The one law of learning
• One trial learning and the recency principle
• The role of:  repetition, motive, reward, punishment
• Breaking habits. Guthrie's contribution to contemporary behavior modification techniques
• Other contemporary influences of Guthrie
• Mowrer and two factor theory
• State dependent learning

MODULE 6 TOLMAN'S PURPOSIVE BEHAVIORISM

• Molar behavior and purposive behaviorism
• Place learning as opposed to response learning
• What is learned
• Reward expectancy
• Sign learning
• Latent learning
• Cognitive maps and insight
• Role of motivation
• Brunswick, the Humphrey effect and the Discrimination Hypothesis
• Learning of probablistic expectations
• Vicarious trial and error learning
• Physiological bases for the existence of cognitive maps

MODULE 7 HULL'S MATHEMATICO-DEDUCTIVE SYSTEM

• Why study Hull ?
• The 1943 postulate system
• Habit strength
• Drive
• The interaction between drive and habit strength (the Williams and Perin experiment)
• Inhibitory factors
• The complete equation
• Secondary learning systems and changes in the formula from 1943-1952
• Incentive motivation
• The goal gradient
• The habit-family hierarchy
• Neo-Hullians: A look at Mowrer, Spence, Amsel

MODULE 8 SKINNER'S OPERANT CONDITIONING (Radical Behaviorism)

• Respondent versus operant behavior
• The "philosophy" of Radical Behaviorism and a critique of it
• The "technology" of Radical Behaviorism
• What is Reinforcing
• Operant conditioning; shaping, chaining, discriminative operants, secondary reinforcement
• Schedules of reinforcement: continuous; intermittent; differential; concurrent
• Token economies
• Practical applications of Skinnerian "technology"
• Premacks view of reinforcement
• The implications of the Brelands' work

MODULE 9 GESTALT THEORY

• Kohler's insight experiment
• Laws of Gestalt Psychology
• Principles of insightful learning
• The transposition problem
• Gestalt vs S-R vs Ratio Theory
• Trace Theory

MODULE 10 BANDURA'S SOCIAL COGNITIVE OR SOCIAL LEARNING THEORY

• Observational Learning
• Modelling as imitation (Dollard & Miller)
• Modelling as identification
• Social-Cognitive approaches to modelling
• Constituent processes of observational learning
• Self-regulation
• Self-efficacy and sources of self-efficacy information
• Bandura vs the radical behaviorists
• Bandura and other cognitive approaches

Updated and Modified on August 28, 2012