PSYC 304: Principles of Learning

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PSYC 304-C01 Principles of Learning Lecture

Summer 2024

Instructor: Darian Stapleton  Location: Online

Email: [email protected]                                                                Time: Asynchronous

Office Hours: By appointment (email me!)

Office Location: David King Hall 1027 or Zoom

Name and pronoun use: If you wish, please share your name and pronouns with me and

indicate how best to address you. I use she/her for myself and you may address me as Professor Stapleton in email and verbally.

Course goals:

· You will be able to conduct an experimental analysis of learning and behavior.

· You will be able to demonstrate the importance of basic learning mechanisms in understanding animal and human behavior.

· You will be able to apply learning theory to real-world examples.

· You will be able to apply the underlying mechanisms involved in both classical and operant conditioning to these conditioning procedures in the real-world.

Required text:

This is a required textbook for the course. If you are having trouble getting a copy please let me know.

Powell, R.A., Honey, P.L., & Symbaluk, D.G. (2016). Introduction to Learning and Behavior, Fifth Edition. Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning.

Grading:  The lecture grade will consist of the following weighted components:

1 final exam 300 points

10 quizzes 600 points (60 points each)

Participation 100 points

______________________________________________________________

Total: 1,000 points

The final grade for PSYC304 will be based on the combined grades you earn in the lecture (75%) and the lab (25%) portions of the course.

Communication Policy: If you ever have any questions about the course in regards to lecture material, please first use the class Slack channel in case one of your classmates can answer you faster than I can, and also so that I can answer for everyone if others have the same question. I will check the Slack regularly, so that will be the most efficient way to get a hold of me if you have a question. Any questions that are regarding grades or private information, please email me.

Participation: Each week by Sunday at 11:59pm you must post in the course Slack (lecture channel) with one question you have about the content and you must also respond to one other person’s question with either a further question that builds off theirs or an answer to their question. You must do this for every chapter that is covered that week (so this will mean you need more than 2 posts). Each post or reply comment will be worth 4 points each (Ranging between 16 and 24 points per week). You will start with 100 points and points will be deducted for every post or reply you don’t do.

Quizzes: We will have weekly online quizzes covering the chapter and lecture material. Quizzes will generally open all day on Mondays covering the chapters from the previous week. There will be a different quiz for each chapter, each quiz has a 60 minute time limit. Quizzes will be multiple choice questions. Quizzes will be worked on individually and are open note. All quizzes should be turned in online via Blackboard. There will be 10 quizzes total. Quizzes will be worth 60 points each for a total of 600 points. There will not be quizzes on the last two chapters, but those chapters will be on the final exam.

Exams: The final exam is cumulative and will be an online, open book exam covering everything that we went over throughout the semester. The exam will consist of multiple choice questions only. The final exams will be worth 300 points.

Extra Credit: If you actually read this far into the syllabus, congratulations, you get to know the secret for extra credit. Your task is to watch the movie Suzume, it should be available online somewhere (email me if you need help finding it), and after you have watched the movie email me your review of the movie. The review doesn’t need to be detailed, just your honest opinion (I need to be able to tell you actually watched it though) with an attached screenshot of your favorite or least favorite character. Please email me your review with the subject “SECRET EC” for a total of 8 extra credit points (equivalent to one slack post and reply for a chapter). Note, this movie has nothing to do with the content of this course, it’s just a good movie to provide some relief from your school stress without the guilt of being unproductive.

Writing Intensive:  PSYC304 has been approved as a writing intensive course.  To meet this requirement, students will complete several writing assignments in the lab.  All papers will conform to APA style guidelines.  Successful completion of these papers, and completion of PSYC304 with a grade of C or better, meets the writing intensive requirement of the psychology major. Please see the lab section syllabus for more information about the writing assignments.

Disability accommodations:  If you are a student with a disability and you need academic accommodations, please see me early in the semester.  If you have not already done so, contact the Office of Disability Services (ODS) at 703-993-2474.  All academic accommodations must be arranged through that office.  Please keep in mind that it might not be possible to grant last-minute requests for accommodations, so it is important to make all arrangements well before the date when the accommodation is needed.   

Notice of a mandatory reporting of sexual assault, interpersonal violence, and stalking: As a faculty member, I am designated as a “Responsible Employee”, and must report all disclosures of sexual assault, interpersonal violence, and stalking to Mason’s Title IX Coordinator per University Policy 1412. If you wish to speak with someone confidentially, please contact one of Mason’s confidential resources, such as Student Support and Advocacy Center (SSAC) at 703-380-1434 or Counseling & Psychology Services (CAPS) at 703-993-2380. You may also seek assistance from Mason’s Title IX Coordinator by calling 703-993-8730 or emailing [email protected].

Honor code:  All students are expected to be familiar with, and abide by, the University Honor Code.  As required by the Honor Code, all suspected violations will be reported.

Grading Scale:

Lecture Quizzes (10 x 3% = 30%) + Exams (3 x 20% = 60) + Attendance (10%)

A    93% or above A-   90-92%

B+   87-89% B    83-86% B-   80-82%

C+   77-79% C    73-76% C-   70-72%

D     60-69% F    59% & below

Grades will be rounded up from .5%. For example, an 89.5% would become an A-, however, an 89.49 would become a B+

Important dates: Last day to add a class: June 26

Last day to drop a class with 100% refund: July 2

Last day to drop a class: July 2

Withdrawal period: July 3 – July 9

Principles of Learning

Summer 2024