PSYC 326-01, Learning & Memory, Fall 2007

Abstract

This course will first introduce students to the branch of psychology that deals with how animals and humans learn and how behaviors are changed as a result of this. This will be followed by and subsequently integrated with a discussion of cognitive processes including attention, perception and memory. By the end of this semester students will be able to: 1. Understand the behavioral approach to learning contrasted with the cognitive approach, as well as early hypotheses about the how learning occurs and theories concerning the physiological processes that transpire during learning. 2. Comprehend and apply basic principles of classical conditioning and operant conditioning, as well as describe theoretical developments, experimental findings and therapeutic implications of these principles. 3. Articulate several models of memory and the processes involved in encoding, storing and retrieving information, including theoretical and empirical evidence of how memories are constructed. 4. Define such terms as associative learning, reinforcement, punishment, attention, sensory and working memory, retrieval, forgetting, short- and long-term memory.