Psychology 305: Learning and Memory Page 1
Summer 2018
PSYC 305 Learning and Memory (4 units): Principles involved in classical and operant conditioning. Concentration on basic causes of behavior; consideration of the relevance of simple behavioral laws to complicated human behavior. Prerequisite: PSYC 100 or departmental approval.
Learning Objectives: Students will understand that ...
- learning and memory is the basis for psychology;
- there are strong links between historical and modern studies in learning and memory research;
- animal and human studies complement and reinforce findings in learning and memory;
- there is a more sophisticated understanding of basic processes in learning and memory;
- modern interpretations of learning and memory are subject to experimental findings and clinical perspective;
- they will be able to conceptualize how to apply the concepts in their every day lives.
Class Schedule: TTh 9 am – 1:10 pm, SGM 226
Required Textbook:Terry, W.S. (2018). Learning and Memory: Basic Principles, Processes, and Procedures, Fifth Edition. New York, Routledge, a Taylor and Francis Group. ISBN 978-1-13-864591-2.
Other material will come from videos shown in class and from a text that is not required in the summer course because of the shortened time-frame of the semester. If the student wishes to independently obtain that book, it is Malott, R.W. (2008). Principles of Behavior, Sixth Edition. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, Prentice Hall. ISBN 0-13-243363-X. An earlier edition of this book got me interested in psychology.
Instructor
David Lavond, Ph.D.
Phone: 740-4041
Office: SGM 1016
Email: (short queries only)
Hours: By appointment and drop in Tuesday and Thursday afternoons.
Organization of the Class: This class is four (4) hours long. It is divided into two parts separated by a break. The timing of the break and return to lecture coincides with the pacing of the lecture in progress.
The first (approximately)two hours of the class will be a lecture of a chapter from the Terry text book as indicated in the daily listing below. Students will be responsible for reading the book by Terry. The midterm and final exams are based on this material.
The second (approximately)two hours of the class will be either another chapter from Terry or viewing and discussing videos of operant techniques used to train animals (fish, dogs, horses, children) and/or cognition and learning videos. The videos will be the basis for talking in greater depth about concepts and applications of the concepts in this course.
Examination and Grading: Grading is based on student performance on two exams (midterm and final) based on the material in the textbook by Terry and discussion of student knowledge of operant techniques. The student will need to bring to the exams an answer sheet (AccuScan BenchMark #29240). (This is a “Benchmark Accuscan answer sheet”; it is not a Scantron which is a different brand.)
The exams are not cumulative, covering only the material for each half of the course.
Each exam consists of multiple-choice questions. There will be 10 questions per each chapter of Terry, resulting in 60 questions per exam.
Bring the appropriateanswer sheet and enough pencils for each of the exams.
Letter grades will be given for each 60-point exam, and these letter grades (not the accumulated points) will be averaged for the final grade. Letter grades are assigned as follows: A 90% (54 points), A- 85% (51 points), B+ 80% (48 points), B 75% (45 points), B- 70% (42 points), C+ 65% (39 points), C 60% (36 points), C- 55% (33 points), D+ 50% (30 points), D 45% (27 points), D 40% (24 points), F below 40% (23 points and fewer). The cutoffs might be lowered depending on the performance of the class to insure the top score(s) receive an A. Once letter grades have been assigned the points no longer matter.
Extra Credit: There are 12 days of class in the summer session. Two of these days include the midterm and final exams. After the midterm, there will be a lecture of material that will be on the final exam. On the remaining 10 days of class, extra credit is earned by participating in class. Participation can occur at any time, for example about the lecture material from the Terry or Malott books or about the videos.
Tokens are handed out at the end of each lecture for those who have asked questions, made comments, or joined the discussion indicating the student's participation. Students are to sign these tokens, collect them, and hand them in to me on the last day of class before the final exam for extra credit.
Extra credit is earned by accumulating at least four (4)participation tokens. If you have earned extra credit then your grade (averaged from the midterm and final) will be boosted by one grade level. For example, if you earned a B on the midterm and an A- on the final then your averaged grade for the course is a B+. If you also earned extra credit, this B+ is changed into an A- for your course grade. You can only earn extra credit once; additional tokens do not increase the course grade any further.
Make-up Exams: Any missed exam must be made up by the last day and period of class for students with prior permission from the instructor based upon documented illness, family tragedy, or religious observance, i.e., the same criteria the university uses for incompletes. Failure to take an exam automatically results in an F for that exam.
Incompletes: The instructor will closely follow university regulations concerning requests for incompletes. Students must seek permission for an incomplete from the professor. Incompletes will be granted only in the event of documented illness, family tragedy, or religious observance.
Copyright Notice -- All Rights Reserved: It has come to the attention of the psychology department and the University that course material has been sold by students, former students and businesses. This is theft of intellectual property. The University has cease and desist orders against businesses engaging in this illegal practice.
The course material is for the use of students who are currently enrolled in the course. The copyright to all lectures, discussions, posts on Blackboard and emails with the instructor belongs to the course instructor. In addition, other copyrighted material belonging to publishers and authors is used with their permission for educational purposes only in this course. You may not store, post, or distribute any course materials by print or by electronic means for use by anyone who is not presently enrolled in this course. Current students, former students and commercial entities may not sell or distribute this material without the express written permission of the instructor teaching this course.
Disabilities: Any student requesting academic accommodations based on a disability is required to register with Disability Services and Programs (DSP) each semester. A letter of verification for approved accommodations can be obtained from DSP. Please be sure the letter is delivered to your course instructor (or TA) as early in the semester as possible. DSP is located in STU 301 and is open from 8:30am to 5:00pm, Monday through Friday. Website and contact information for DSP (213) 740-0776 (Phone), (213) 740-6948 (TDD only), (213) 740-8216 (FAX)
Emergency Preparedness/Course Continuity in a of Crisis: In case of emergency, when travel to campus is difficult, if not impossible, USC executive leadership will announce a digital way for instructors to teach students in their residence halls or homes using a combination of the Blackboard LMS (Learning Management System), teleconferencing, and other technologies. Instructors should be prepared to assign students a “Plan B” project that can be completed ‘at a distance.’ For additional information about maintaining your classes in an emergency, please access:
Help: “If you are having difficulty with this class, let me remind you that, in addition to me (and, if appropriate, the teaching assistants), there are other ways that you may receive help. The Academic Support and Disability Services Program offers free tutoring and learning skills instruction to USC students in many classes. The center is located in the Student Union Suite 301 and is open Monday through Friday. All tutoring is on a first come first served basis. It is important to phone ahead for an appointment for learning skills at (213) 740-0776. In addition, the Writing Center in THH 321 offers undergraduates help in composition. Tutors are available for 30-minute appointments by calling (213) 740-3691. Also, your departmental advisor, or an advisor in the College Advising Office in CAS 100, is available to you, if you believe you should talk with someone in more general terms. Please remember that there are many people at USC who are available to help you.”
Statement on Academic Conduct and Support Systems
Academic Conduct:
Plagiarism – presenting someone else’s ideas as your own, either verbatim or recast in your own words – is a serious academic offense with serious consequences. Please familiarize yourself with the discussion of plagiarism inSCampusin Part B, Section 11, “Behavior Violating University Standards” Other forms of academic dishonesty are equally unacceptable. See additional information inSCampusand university policies on scientific misconduct,
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Syllabus
Date DayTopicReadings .
1. May 17ThursdayIntroductionTerry Ch. 1
Habituation and Other Forms Terry Ch. 2
of Simple Stimulus Learning
2. May 22TuesdayClassical ConditioningTerry Ch. 3
3. May 24ThursdayInstrumental Conditioning:Terry Ch. 4
Reward
HOL May 28MondayMemorial Day Holiday
4. May 29TuesdayInstrumental Conditioning:Terry Ch. 5
Nonreward, Punishments,
and Avoidance
5. June 31ThursdayVerbal LearningTerry Ch. 6
6. June 5TuesdayMIDTERM (chapter 1-6)
NOTE: lecture following the exam
Human Memory: ConceptualTerry Ch. 7
Approaches
7. June 7ThursdayShort-Term RetentionTerry Ch. 8
8. June 12TuesdayEncodingTerry Ch. 9
9. June 14ThursdayStorage and RetrievalTerry Ch. 10
10. June 19TuesdaySpatial, Motor-Skill, and Terry Ch. 11
Implicit Conditioning
11. June 31ThursdayIndividual Differences in Terry Ch. 12
Learning and Memory
12. June 26TuesdayFINAL (chapters 7-12)