Resource Key
LEVEL 1
brief, basic information laid out in an easy-to-read format. May use informal language. (Includes most news articles)
LEVEL 2
provides additional background information and further reading. Introduces some subject-specific language.
LEVEL 3
lengthy, detailed information. Frequently uses technical/subject-specific language. (Includes most analytical articles)
Linked Databases
- Britannica Schools This link opens in a new windowBritannica School covers the core subject areas of English, Maths, Science and History. Interactive lessons, activities, games, stories, worksheets, manipulatives, study guides and research tools.
Introduction
Welcome to the research guide for learning and behaviour. Learning involves a relatively permanent change in behaviour that occurs as a result of experience; types of learning include classical conditioning, operant conditioning and observational learning (Nelson, 2016). This guide explores theories of learning for the task of producing a training manual for pet owners.
Series: Theory of Learning
Theories of learning: skills and sports psychology series [Television broadcast]. (2006). United Kingdom: Online Classroom.
Learning and Behaviour
- St. Rosemary Educational Institution. (2016). Learning: Classical conditioning and operant conditioning. Retrieved from http://schoolworkhelper.net/learning-classical-conditioning-operant-conditioning/.Learning – process by which experience produces a relatively enduring change in an organism’s behaviour or capabilities.
- Cherry, K. (2015). Learning. Retrieved from http://psychology.about.com/od/lindex/g/learning.htmLearning is often defined as a relatively lasting change in behavior that is the result of experience. Learning became a major focus of study in psychology during the early part of the twentieth century as behaviorism rose to become a major school of thought. Today, learning remains an important concept in numerous areas of psychology, including cognitive, educational, social and developmental psychology.
- Learning. (2016). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved from http://school.eb.com.au.db.plcscotch.wa.edu.au/levels/high/article/47530Learning, the alteration of behaviour as a result of individual experience. When an organism can perceive and change its behaviour, it is said to learn.
Memory
- Harvard Health Publishing. (n.d.). Improving Memory. Retrieved from https://www.health.harvard.edu/topics/improving-memoryIn many ways, our memories shape who we are. They make up our internal biographies—the stories we tell ourselves about what we've done with our lives. They tell us who we're connected to, who we've touched during our lives, and who has touched us. In short, our memories are crucial to the essence of who we are as human beings.
Training Tips
- Human Society. (n.d.). Tips for training your dog. Retrieved from http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/dogs/tips/?credit=web_id96379310Pets are part of the family. We have resources to help you with your furry and winged companions and solve any behavioural problems you may have.
Key Terms
- learning Learning is often defined as a relatively lasting change in behavior that is the result of experience.
- Ivan Pavlov Russian physiologist who studied the digestive system of dogs, investigating the nervous control of salivation and the role of enzymes. His experiments showed that if a bell is rung whenever food is presented to a dog, the dog will eventually salivate when it hears the bell, even if no food is presented. This demonstration of what is known as a conditioned response prompted later scientific studies of human and animal behavior.
- classical conditioning A process of behavior modification in which a subject learns to respond in a desired manner such that a neutral stimulus (the conditioned stimulus) is repeatedly presented in association with a stimulus (the unconditioned stimulus) that elicits a natural response (the unconditioned response) until the neutral stimulus alone elicits the same response (now called the conditioned response). For example, in Pavlov's experiments, food is the unconditioned stimulus that produces salivation, a reflex or unconditioned response. The bell is the conditioned stimulus, which eventually produces salivation in the absence of food. This salivation is the conditioned response.
- B Skinner B. F. Skinner was one of the most influential of American psychologists. A behaviorist, he developed the theory of operant conditioning -- the idea that behavior is determined by its consequences, be they reinforcements or punishments, which make it more or less likely that the behavior will occur again. Skinner believed that the only scientific approach to psychology was one that studied behaviors, not internal (subjective) mental processes.
- operant conditioning Operant conditioning is the learning process by which behaviors are reinforced or punished, thus strengthening or extinguishing a response.
- Albert Bandura Albert Bandura is an influential social cognitive psychologist who is perhaps best-known for his social learning theory, the concept of self-efficacy and his famous Bobo doll experiments.
- observational learning While the behavioral theories of learning suggested that all learning was the result of associations formed by conditioning, reinforcement, and punishment, Bandura's social learning theory proposed that learning can also occur simply by observing the actions of others.
Senior Library Books
- Introduction to Psychology by Co-written by an author who garners more accolades and rave reviews from instructors and students with each succeeding edition, INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY: GATEWAYS TO MIND AND BEHAVIOR, THIRTEENTH EDITION attracts and holds the attention of even difficult-to-reach students. The Thirteenth Edition's hallmark continues to be its pioneering integration of the proven-effective SQ4R learning system (Survey, Question, Read, Reflect, Review, Recite), which promotes critical thinking as it guides students step-by-step to an understanding of psychology's broad concepts and diversity of topics. Throughout every chapter, these active learning tools, together with the book's example-laced writing style, discussions of positive psychology, cutting-edge coverage of the field's new research findings, and excellent media resources, ensure that users find the study of psychology fascinating, relevant, and above all, accessible.ISBN: 9781111833633Publication Date: 2012-01-01
- Introducing Psychology by Covering the main schools of psychology, including psychoanalysis, introspection, bio-psychology, behaviourism, the Gestalt movement, and humanism, this text also describes the work of such key names as Freud, Jung, Pavlov, and Skinner.ISBN: 1840460598Publication Date: 1997-07-26
- 30-Second Psychology by 30-Second Psychology takes the top 50 strands of thinking in this fascinating field, and explains them to then general reader, in half a minute, using nothing more than two pages, 300 words and one picture.ISBN: 9781848312616Publication Date: 2011
- Heads up Psychology by 'What is insanity?' 'Can we trust our memories?' 'Who needs parents, anyway?' The answers to these and many other questions we often ask lie in the world of psychology. It is all around us, influencing advertising, politics, and product development. Using engaging graphics, this book explores the big ideas from all areas of psychology, including psychoanalysis, intelligence, and mental disorders. Heads Up Psychology offers big ideas, simply explained for teen readers.ISBN: 9781465419934Publication Date: 2014-04-21
- Psychology by Psychologists will discover the inherent drama and indispensable human component of psychology science with this updated text. The Research in Depth feature presents classic case studies along with exercises that help reinforce concepts related to research methodology. New Psychology at Work sections offer information specifically related to I/O or human factors as well as describe the role that psychology plays in various applied settings. Profiles in Positive Psychology also gives psychologists a look at the application of psychology to their daily lives, and exposes them to key topics in positive psychologyISBN: 9780470646441Publication Date: 2010-12-07
- Psychology by Provides the essential foundation for psychology students, this is a revised and updated version of the most trusted introduction written by the bestselling psychology author Richard Gross. Psychology: The Science of Mind and Behaviour has helped over half a million students worldwide. It isthe essential introduction to psychology, covering all students need to know to understand and evaluate classic and contemporary topics.ISBN: 9781471829734Publication Date: 2015-06-15
- Psychology and the Challenges of Life by A long-respected standard in the psychology of adjustment, Psychology and the Challenges of Life, Eleventh Edition has been thoroughly updated and contemporized to provide students the ability to reflect on how psychology relates to the lives we live and the roles that psychology can play in helping us with the challenges we face. Authors Jeffrey Nevid and Spencer Rathus explore the many applications of psychological concepts and principles used to meet the challenges of daily life, while encouraging students to apply concepts to themselves through active learning exercises, self-assessment questionnaires, and journaling exercises.ISBN: 9780470592311Publication Date: 2010-01-07
- A Primer in Positive Psychology by Positive psychology is the scientific study of what goes right in life, from birth to death and at all stops in between. It is a newly-christened approach within psychology that takes seriously the examination of that which makes life most worth living. Everyone's life has peaks and valleys, and positive psychology does not deny the valleys. Its signature premise is more nuanced, but nonetheless important: what is good about life is as genuine as what is bad and, therefore, deserves equal attention from psychologists. Positive psychology as an explicit perspective has existed only since 1998, but enough relevant theory and research now exist to fill a textbook suitable for a semester-long college course. A Primer in Positive Psychology is thoroughly grounded in scientific research and covers major topics of concern to the field: positive experiences such as pleasure and flow; positive traits such as character strengths, values, and talents; and the social institutions that enable these subjects as well as what recent research might contribute to this knowledge. Every chapter contains exercises that illustrate positive psychology, a glossary, suggestions of articles and books for further reading, and lists of films, websites, and popular songs that embody chapter themes. A comprehensive overview of positive psychology by one of the acknowledged leaders in the field, this textbook provides students with a thorough introduction to an important area of psychology.ISBN: 9780195188332Publication Date: 2006-07-27