Synopses & Reviews
Designed to apply learning theory and principles to the presentation of learning, this text shows how learning principles work in both animals and people. On nearly every page of the book, the authors show how the study of learning helps solve practical problems, such as learning to improve study skills, conquer weight problems, improve relationships, raise children, and effectively stop smoking. This basic book is both solidly based in research and engaging for the student.
Review
"This is a fantastic text for independent learning. Students have told me that they find themselves wanting to read beyond the pages that I have assigned! This book is the most student-friendly textbook that I could find in my search for an appropriate text for my course."
Review
"This textbook is far and away the best textbook for undergraduates taking their first course in the psychology of learning. Terms are introduced carefully, and the language and jargon is held to a level that is not daunting to introductory-level students. Copious figures, diagrams, and study aids such as short quizzes facilitate understanding. My students have consistently reported that they like this textbook, which has NEVER happened with any other learning textbook that I have used."
Review
"This is a fantastic text for independent learning. Students have told me that they find themselves wanting to read beyond the pages that I have assigned! This book is the most student-friendly textbook that I could find in my search for an appropriate text for my course."
Review
"I have very much enjoyed this textbook for several reasons. First, it is extremely easy to read. The content in each chapter is pertinent and concise. Second, there are many tools available to the students that are useful in reviewing the material. I have found the Quick Quizzes and the Concept Reviews very helpful as I review the information. Also, I have used the website in conjunction with the textbook which enhances my understanding of the material."
"In addition, the textbook is geared for college students. For example, the concepts in Dr. Dee are relevant and applicable to the life of a student. Dr. Dee is a great tool to demonstrate the practical application of the principles taught in the book."
Synopsis
Explore how learning principles work in both animals and people with INTRODUCTION TO LEARNING AND BEHAVIOR. Throughout this learning textbook, the authors show how the study of learning helps solve practical problems, such as improving study skills, improving relationships, raising children, and stopping smoking. Use the textbook's multiple opportunities for review and self-testing to get ready for tests.
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 450-474) and index.
About the Author
Dr. Russell Powell earned his Ph.D. in psychology under the late Frank Epling and David Pierce at the University of Alberta. Now serving as the Chair of Psychology and Sociology at Grant MacEwan College in Edmonton, Alberta, Dr. Powell was the first instructor to develop and offer university-level courses via .computer-managed learning., a nontraditional, alternative delivery format. He has taught and published across a diverse range of areas such as social psychology, experimental psychology, operant conditioning, sleep paralysis nightmares and Freud criticism. Recently, Dr. Powell has become involved in the controversy over the nature and causes of dissociative identity disorder, coauthoring articles promoting a social learning perspective that have appeared in Canadian Journal of Psychiatry (Powell and Gee, 1999) and Psychological Bulletin (Lilienfeld et al., 1999).Diane G. Symbaluk received her Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Alberta and is currently a faculty member in the Department of Social Sciences at Grant MacEwan College. Her research background includes the investigation of self-control and impulsiveness in sex offenders, activity anorexia in male athletes, and the effect of social modeling and self efficacy on pain perception and tolerance. Dr. Symnaluk is author of various teaching and study aids, as well as of various articles, two of which appeared in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin (Symbaluk et al., 1997), and Teaching of Psychology (Symbaluk and Cameron, 1998).Dr. Suzanne E. MacDonald earned her Ph.D. in pigeon memory at the University of Alberta under the supervision of Douglas Grant. After completing her postdoctoral work at the University of British Columbia, she moved to Toronto, Ontario where she is currently a professor of psychology at York University. Research and teaching interests concentrate on animal thinking, learning and behavior, particularly in primates, a topic in which she has been published extensively. On any given day, Dr. MacDonald can be found at the Toronto Zoo where she serves as the zoo's resident behaviorists. In addition to teaching, advising graduate students, and working at the zoo, she hosts 'Animal Talk' for the Discovery Channel.
Table of Contents
1. INTRODUCTION. Historical Background. Aristotle: Empiricism and the Laws of Association. Descartes: Mind-Body Dualism and the Reflex. The British Empiricists. Structuralism: The Experimental Study of Consciousness. Functionalism: The Study of the Adaptive Mind. Behaviorism: The Study of Observable Behavior. Five Schools of Behaviorism. Watson's Methodological Behaviorism. Hull's Neobehaviorism. Tolman's Cognitive Behaviorism. Bandura's Social Learning Theory. B.F. Skinner's Radical Behaviorism. The Life of B.F. Skinner. 2. RESEARCH METHODS. Basic Terms and Definitions. Variables. Independent and Dependent Variables. Functional Relationships. Stimulus and Response. Overt and Covert Behavior. Appetitive and Aversive Stimuli. Establishing Operations: Deprivation and Satiation. Contiguity and Contingency. Measurement of Behavior. Behavioral Definitions. Recording Methods. Research designs. Descriptive Research. Experimental Research. 3. ELICITED BEHAVIORS AND CLASSICAL CONDITIONING. Elicited Behaviors. Reflexes. Fixed Action Patterns. Simple Mechanisms of Learning. Habituation and Sensitization. The Opponent-Process Theory of Emotion. Classical Conditioning. Pavlov's Discovery of Classical Conditioning. Basic Procedure and Definitions. Appetitive and Aversive Conditioning. Excitatory and Inhibitory Conditioning. Temporal Arrangement of Stimuli. 4. CLASSICAL CONDITIONING: BASIC PHENOMENA AND VARIOUS COMPLEXITIES. Basic Conditioning Phenomena. Acquisition. Extinction, Spontaneous Recovery, and Disinhibition. Stimulus Generalization and Discrimination. Discrimination Training and Experimental Neurosis. Two Extensions to Classical Conditioning. Higer-Order Conditioning. Sensory Preconditioning. Thee Limitations to Classical Conditioning. Overshadowing. Blocking. Latent Inhibition. Additional Phenomena. Temporal Conditioning. Occasion Setting. US Revaluation. Pseudoconditioning. 5. CLASSICAL CONDITIONING: UNDERLYING PROCESSES AND PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS. Underlying Processes in Classical Conditioning. S-S Versus S-R Learning. Stimulus-Substitution Versus Preparatory-Response Theory. Compensatory-Response Model. Rescorla-Wagner Theory. Practical Applications of Classical Conditioning. Understanding Phobias. Treating Phobias. Aversion Therapy for Eliminating Problem Behaviors. Medical Applications. 6. OPERANT CONDITIONING: INTRODUCTION. Historical Background. Thorndike's Law of Effect. Skinner's Learning by Consequences. Operant Conditioning. The Operant Response. Operant Consequences: Reinforcers and Punishers. Operant Antecedents: Discriminative Stimuli. Four Types of Consequences. Positive Reinforcement. Negative Reinforcement. Positive Punishment. Negative Punishment. Positive Reinforcement: Further Distinctions. Immediate versus Delayed Reinforcement. Primary and Secondary Reinforcement. Intrinsic and Extrinsic Reinforcement. Shaping. 7. OPERANT CONDITIONING: SCHEDULES AND THEORIES OF REINFORCEMENT. Schedules of Reinforcement. Continuous versus Intermittent Schedules. Other Simple Schedules of Reinforcement. Chained Schedules. Theories of Reinforcement. Drive Reduction Theory. The Premack Principle. Response Deprivation Hypothesis. Behavioral Bliss Point Approach. 8. EXTINCTION AND STIMULUS CONTROL. Extinction. Side Effects of Extinction. Resistance to Extinction. Spontaneous Recovery. Differential Reinforcement of Other Behavior. Stimulus Control. Stimulus Generalization and Discrimination. The Peak Shift Effect. Multiple Schedules and Behavioral Contrast. Fading and Errorless Discrimination Learning. Stimulus Control: Additional Applications. 9. ESCAPE, AVOIDANCE, AND PUNISHMENT. Escape and Avoidance. Two-Process Theory of Avoidance. Avoidance Conditioning and Phobias. Avoidance Conditioning and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Punishment. Types of Punishment. Theories of Punishment. Issues Concerning the Use of Punishment. Effects of Noncontingent Punishment. Learned Helplessness. Masserman's Experimental Neurosis. 10. CHOICE, MATCHING, AND SELF-CONTROL. Choice and Matching. Concurrent Schedules. The Matching Law. Deviations from Matching. Matching and Melioration. Self-Control. Skinner on Self-Control. Self-Control as a Temporal Issue. The Ainslie-Rachlin Model of Self-Control. Cognitive Factors in Self-Control. 11. BIOLOGICAL DISPOSITIONS IN LEARNING. Preparedness and Conditioning. Preparedness in Classical Conditioning. Preparedness in Operant Conditioning. Operant-Respondent Interactions. Instinctive Drift. Sign Tracking. Adjunctive Behavior. Adjunctive Behavior: Defining Characteristics. Adjunctive Behavior in Humans. Adjunctive Behavior as Displacement Activity. Activity Anorexia. Basic Procedure and Defining Characteristics. Comparisons with Anorexia Nervosa. Underlying Mechanisms. Clinical Implications. 12. OBSERVATIONAL LEARNING, LANGUAGE, AND RULE-GOVERNED BEHAVIOR. Observational Learning. In Classical Conditioning. In Operant Conditioning. Observational Learning in Animals. Language. Can Animals Talk? Cross-Fostering Experiments. Artificial Language Experiments. Rule-Governed Behavior. What It Is and Why It's Useful. Personal Rules in Self-Regulation. Some Disadvantages of Rule-Governed Behavior. References. Name Index. Subject Index.