PSY308 Psychology of Learning (8)
Abstract| Psychology of Learning examines the principles, processes and mechanisms by which organisms acquire information about the world, and translate that information into action. The subject examines (1) the major theories of learning, (2) the empirical support for these theories, (3) the application of learning principles to the development, maintenance and treatment of human behavioural psychopathology, and (4) the neural and molecular mechanisms which subserve learning. |
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+ Subject Availability Modes and Location
| Session 1 | | Distance* | Bathurst Campus | Session 2 | | Internal | Bathurst Campus | | Internal | Wagga Wagga Campus |
*This subject offering contains a residential school. Please view following information for further details.
Continuing students should consult the SAL for current offering details: PSY308
Where differences exist between the Handbook and the SAL, the SAL should be taken as containing the correct subject offering details.
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Subject information| Duration | Grading System | School: |
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| One session | HD/FL | School of Psychology |
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Assumed Knowledge| PSY201 and (PSY202 or PSY203 or PSY204 or PSY208) |
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Enrolment restrictions| Not available to students that have completed PSY207 Psychology of Learning or PSY308 Behavioural Neuroscience 2 |
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Learning OutcomesUpon successful completion of this subject, students should:
- be able to demonstrate an understanding of the distinction between innate (fixed) and acquired (flexible) behaviour patterns
- be able to discuss behaviour from a number of dimensions, including (1) the role of environmental precipitants, (2) cognitive information processing, (3) the neural mechanisms mediating behaviour (from sensory input to motor output), and (4) the adaptive purpose (or function) of behaviour
- be able to demonstrate an appreciation of the importance of understanding the mechanisms of normal behaviour for developing theories of psychopathology (or "abnormal" behaviour)
- be able to demonstrate an understanding of the experimental method and its application in psychobiology
- be able to demonstrate an appreciation of the ways in which psychological theory can guide neuroscience research, and how, in turn, the findings of neuroscience research can be used to test psychological theory |
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SyllabusThe subject will cover the following topics:
- Evolution of behaviour and learning
- Animal Research and the Ethics of the use of animals in research
- Contemporary Models of Pavlovian learning
- Contingency theory and the Rescorla-Wagner Model
- Contingency theory beyond Rescorla-Wagner (Attentional Models)
- Beyond contingency theories (e.g., comparator theories, interference theories)
- Neurobiological evidence for contemporary Pavlovian learning
- Psychophysiology and human conditioning
- The neural mechanisms of attention, learning and memory
- Learning in artificial neural networks
- Perception and perceptual learning in humans
- Conditioned hypoalgesia and immunomodulation
- Conditioning factors in drug dependence |
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Residential School| This subject contains a compulsory 2.5 day residential school.
No changes to the purpose or activities of the existing residential school.
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The information contained in the 2014 CSU Handbook was accurate at the date of publication: 13 September 2013. The University reserves the right to vary the information at any time without notice.
