Psychology 281 Learning & Behaviour

1. Psychology 281Learning & Behaviour Emily Batty Spring Session 2008

2. Syllabus • Course Website: • www.ualberta.ca/~egray/psyc281.html • Textbook: • Chance, P. (2006). Learning & Behavior: Active Learning Edition (Fifth Edition). USA: Thompson Wadsworth. • Prerequisite: • Psyco 104 (or equivalent)

3. Instructor • Emily Batty • BS P-549 • 492-7886 (office) or 492-7139 (lab) • emily.batty@ualberta.ca • “Psych 281” in subject • Name & ID in message • Email is the BEST way to reach me!!! • Office hours: • Monday, 2-3:30, or by appointment

4. Grading Breakdown • 1 midterm: 25% • Final: 35% • 2 assignments: 15% each • 5 quizzes: 2% each

5. Schedule • Chapters 1,2,3: May 5, 7 • Chapters 4,5: May 12, 14 • NO CLASS: May 19 • Chapters 6: May 21  Assignment #1 due (21st) • MIDTERM: May 26 • Chapters 7,10: May ,26, 28 • Chapters 8,9: June 2, 4  Assignment #2 due (2nd) • Chapters 11,12: June 9, 11 • FINAL: Thursday, June 12 – 3 pm

6. Grading • A+ (4.0) = 95-100% • A (4.0) = 90-94% • A- (3.7) = 85-89% • B+ (3.3) = 80-84% • B (3.0) = 75-79% • B- (2.7) = 70-74% • C+ (2.3) = 65-69% • C (2.0) = 60-64% • C- (1.7) = 55-59% • D+ (1.3)= 50-54% • D (1.0) = 45-49% • F (0.0) = 0-44% • Not graded on a curve • Grades will be based on: • Quizzes: 10% (5 x 2%) • Assignments: 30% (2 x 15%) • Midterm exam: 25% • Final exam: 35%

7. Quizzes • 5 SHORT quizzes worth 2% each • Given at the BEGINNING of class • 10 minutes to answer • Based on readings or previous day’s lecture • e.g. • What is the definition of ‘learning’?

8. Assignments • 2 assignments worth 15% each • One-page limit • You can work in pairs • Deductions for late assignments • e.g. Explain gambling behaviour in terms of different schedules of reinforcement. • Cheating & Plagarism • http://www.uofaweb.ualberta.ca/governance/StudentAppealsCheatsheet.cfm?

9. Exams • Multiple Choice • Fill-in-the-blank • Short answer

10. What is Learning?

11. What is learning? • School kids? • Studying for exams? • Learning to drive? What else? • Cognitive constants across species • Cognitive differences across species • How to make good rat poison?

12. Definitions • Learning is: • Some event at Time 1 affects behaviour at Time 2 • Problem with this definition… • A change in behaviour due to experience • A change in behaviour is not sufficient to show learning • Not all behaviours are learned • Even some complex behaviours are innate • Reflexes, fixed action patterns, general behaviour traits

13. Behaviour & Evolution Where do these innate behaviours come from?

14. Natural Selection • Variation, inheritance, selection, differential reproductive success • Acts on the level of the individual • Natural selection commonly known to work on physical traits • E.g. white & black peppered moths

15. Natural Selection • Behaviours, as well as physical characteristics, can be selected for! • Survival of the Sneakiest: • http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/0_0_0/sneakermales_01 • Evolutionary advantages for behaviours like reflexes? • More complex behaviours, like altruism and pair bonding?

16. Artificial Selection • Animal breeders • Pet domestication • Genetic engineering

17. Sexual Selection • Mate choice based on non-adaptive traits • i.e. traits that don’t increase survivability may evolve if they help an organism compete for mates • Peacocks

18. Limits of Natural Selection • SLOW! • Generational lag • Not very helpful within a lifetime • e.g. new predators

19. Innate Behaviours Reflexes, Fixed Action Patterns & General Behaviour Traits

20. Reflexes • Response to an environmental stimuli (i.e. an event) • Relationship between a specific event and a simple response • Not learned, innate responses • Survival mechanism • Primitive reflexes

21. Inter-neuron BRAIN Sensory neuron Motor neuron

22. changes in reflexes • Reflexes are generally very stereotypic • i.e. they don’t change much in terms of form, strength • However, they can vary between people & time Sensitization & Habituation • Simple forms of learning • Changes in reflexive behaviour patterns • Different from sensory adaptation and fatique • Discreet stimulus

23. sensitization • Intensity and repetition of the event can affect habituation & sensitization • Sensitization: an INCREASE in the intensity or probability of response to stimuli • Sensitization example: • Light touch: no response • Painful shock: flinch • Light touch: flinch

24. habituation • Habituation: a DECREASE in the intensity or probability of response to stimuli • Stimulus specific • Habituation example: • Loud noise: startle • Loud noise: less startle • Loud noise: less startle

25. Fixed Action Patterns • Similar to reflexes: innate and very stereotypic • Involve more complex actions, or a series of actions • Set off by a ‘sign stimulus’ or ‘releaser’ • Start-to-finish

26. MAIL fixed action patterns

27. Other examples of FAPs • Greylag Goose rolling eggs • Gulls • Yawning? • Westermarck effect

28. General Behaviour Traits • Behavioural traits strongly influenced by genes • Not the same as FAPs • More plastic, flexible • No single sign stimulus • Species specific defense reactions • Rats: freeze

29. Evolved modifiability • Natural selection is slow, so innate behaviours are not enough… • Ability to learn • Nature vs. Nurture

30. Measuring Learning

31. Learning & Behaviour • Remember: Learning is a change in behaviour due to experience • Why behaviour?? • Hard Line Behaviourism? • Watson • Skinner

32. The Science of Learning • Avoiding circular explanations Q: Why did the chicken cross the road? A: To get to the other side. A: Because it crossed the road Q: How do we know the chicken wanted to get to the other side?

33. Operational Definitions • A precise way of defining events • Multiple observers can agree on occurrence of event • Or, quantify an event • Inter-rater reliability • How to define choice? • When bird lands on perch? • When bird pulls off Velcro? • When beak touches Velcro?

34. Measuring Learning • Reduction in errors • Change in speed • Change in topography (form) • Change in intensity • Change in latency • Change in rate or frequency

35. How to study learning • Anecdotal evidence • First- or second-hand reports of personal experiences • Good for ideas, but not very scientific

36. How to study learning • Anecdotal evidence • Naturalistic Observation • Observe subjects in their natural setting • Limited controls • Little to no interaction

37. How to study learning • Anecdotal evidence • Naturalistic Observation • Case Studies • More detail than an anecdote • Study an individual/event/small group in detail • Time consuming • Hard to generalize • Doesn’t answer all questions (e.g. causation)

38. How to study learning • Anecdotal evidence • Naturalistic Observation • Case Studies • Descriptive Studies • Questionnaires, statistical analyses • More information than case studies, but less detail • Correlations, not causation

39. How to study learning • Anecdotal evidence • Naturalistic Observation • Case Studies • Descriptive Studies • Experimental Studies • Manipulate variables • Different designs • High control • Measures effect of specific variables on behaviour

40. Types of Variables • Independent variables • Manipulated • Dependent variables • Measured • Controlled variables • Things to keep constant

41. Experimental Designs • Between Subjects design • Two or more groups of participants/subjects • Experimental & Control groups • Manipulate independent variable between groups • One group gets it, and one doesn’t • Measure dependent variable between groups • Assignment into groups can be random or matched

42. Between Subjects

43. Experimental Designs • Within Subjects design • One group of participants/subjects, compare across time points

44. Experimental Designs • Within Subjects Designs • ABA reversals

45. Evaluation Research • Validity • How well a study, a procedure, or a measure does what it is supposed to do • Reliability • How well a measure can be reproduced • Replicability

46. Evaluating Research • Sampling bias • Sample: collection of subjects selected for a study • Population: much larger collection of animals or people from which the sample was drawn • Distortions in self-reports • Self-reports: subjects give a verbal/written account of their own performance

47. Evaluation Research • Placebo effects • Demand characteristics • Experimental bias • Intentional and unintentional • Single- and double-blind procedures

48. Animal Research • How useful to human learning? • Control over variables • Ethics • Cognitive constants, differences • Comparative Cognition • Animal Rights • Computer simulations