Outline

Overview

This unit addresses the fundamental concepts and more important research findings related to contemporary theories of associative learning in animals and humans. It examines the application of such fundamental research to issues such as drug use and food choice. It is designed to foster skills in reading primary sources in this area, and provide the opportunity for hands-on experience in carrying out a research project. In the advanced unit of study students will learn techniques to model learning and behaviour, and independently apply these skills to experimental data that they have collected.

Unit details and rules

Unit code	PSYC3911
Academic unit	Psychology Academic Operations
Credit points	6
Prohibitions ?	PSYC3011
Prerequisites ?	(A mark of 75 or above in PSYC2X10 or PSYC2X11 or PSYC2015 or PSYC2915) and PSYC2012
Corequisites ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Evan Livesey, evan.livesey@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s)	Jessica Lee, jessica.c.lee@sydney.edu.au
	Robert Boakes, bob.boakes@sydney.edu.au
	Justin Harris, justin.harris@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Supervised exam ?	Final Exam See Canvas for more details.	50%	Formal exam period	2 hours
Outcomes assessed:
Tutorial quiz	Tutorial Quiz 1 See Canvas for more details.	5%	Week 04	See Canvas for more details.
Outcomes assessed:
Tutorial quiz	Tutorial Quiz 2 See Canvas for more details.	5%	Week 06	See Canvas for more details.
Outcomes assessed:
Tutorial quiz	Tutorial Quiz 3 See Canvas for more details.	5%	Week 08	See Canvas for more details.
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Research Report See Canvas for more details.	30%	Week 10 Due date: 04 May 2023 at 23:59 Closing date: 01 Jun 2023	See Canvas for more details.
Outcomes assessed:
Tutorial quiz	Tutorial Quiz 4 See Canvas for more details.	5%	Week 12	See Canvas for more details.
Outcomes assessed:
= hurdle task ?

Assessment summary

Tutorial Quizzes: If you miss any of the Tutorial Quizzes, you may apply for Special Consideration, from which the only outcome is a reweighting of the Tutorial Quiz you missed. If you do not complete any of the Tutorial Quizzes and are not awarded Special Consideration for them, you will just receive 0 for the Tutorial Quiz you missed.
Research Report: If you do not attempt the Research Report by the closing date, you may apply for Special Consideration, from which the only outcome is a replacement assessment. If you do not attempt the Research Report by the closing date and are not awarded Special Consideration, you will just receive 0 for the Research Report.
Final Exam: If you do not attempt the Final Exam, you will need to apply for Special Consideration, from which the only outcome is a replacement exam. If you do not attempt the Final Exam and are not awarded Special Consisderation, you will receive an Absent Fail (AF) grade for this unit, as the Final Exam is a compulsory assessment.

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a High distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a Distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100	This work shows excellent understanding of the topic and clear evidence of independent critical thought. It may contain blemishes, but these are compensated for by signs of high intellectual quality, especially clear, well-organised and forceful argument; reading and understanding beyond the set literature; and originality of approach.
Distinction	75 - 84	This work shows a very good understanding of the relevant content; the essay reflects independent thought; significantly it attempts to develop evaluative and critical arguments. Such arguments may be second-hand and/or they may be flawed, but a serious and sustained attempt at criticism has been made.
Credit	65 - 74	This work shows a clear understanding of the relevant material; it contains only small gaps or minor errors; reading has obviously gone beyond lecture material; there are signs of independent thought, and some attempt is made to evaluate arguments or develop critical arguments.
Pass	50 - 64	This work shows evidence of a satisfactory level of understanding of the relevant material; it may contain gaps, errors or other kinds of blemishes, but it is obvious that the student has read and digested material from lectures and/or set literature. The essay, however, is largely derivative – it simply reports the views of others - and little or no criticism or evaluation of arguments is attempted.
Fail	0 - 49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard. There may be a significant amount of ‘parroting’ of material from lectures or tutorials or set reading, but this work shows little or no evidence of satisfactory understanding of the relevant content; it may contain either serious errors or major gaps in what is considered essential information.

For more information see sydney.edu.au/students/guide-to-grades

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

You may only use artificial intelligence and writing assistance tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator, and if you do use them, you must also acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section.

Studiosity is permitted for postgraduate units unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	1. Introduction to learning and behaviour; 2. Darwin and mental evolution	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 02	1. Comparative psychology and early behaviourism; 2. Early learning theory: Pavlov, Hull and Tolman	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 02	Introduction and initial discussion of laboratory experiment	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 03	1. Skinner’s operant psychology vs associative learning theory; 2. The content of conditioning	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 03	Laboratory experiment discussion: Background, research question and development + Experimental Design	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 04	1. The conditions necessary for conditioning: contiguity; 2. The conditions necessary for conditioning: contingency	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 04	Research project development	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 05	1. Theories of conditioning: variations in associability of the CS or US; 2. The Rescorla-Wagner model	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 05	Trial spacing and learning	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 06	1. The effects of non-reinforcement: extinction; 2. Conditioned inhibition – its role in extinction	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 06	Using models of learning Pt 1 + Report discussion	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 07	1. Latent inhibition; 2. Perceptual learning and discrimination	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 07	Using models of learning Pt 2	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 08	1. Learning and attention; 2. Contingency learning and causal reasoning	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 08	Final report discussion	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 09	1. Conditioning and cognition 1; 2. Conditioning and cognition 2	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 10	1. Food aversion learning; 2. Flavour preference learning	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 10	Critical discussion: Conditioning and awareness	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 11	1. Learning and drug use; 2. Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 11	Drug use, tolerance & learning discussion	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 12	1. Generalisation; 2. The placebo effect	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 12	Recap, preparation for exam and short-answer question writing	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 13	1. Social learning 1; 2. Social learning 2	Lecture (2 hr)

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. gain an in-depth knowledge of the history of comparative psychology from Darwin to contemporary learning theory
LO2. understand contemporary learning theory and its application to the analysis of behavior in laboratory and applied settings
LO3. gain knowledge of basic conditioning phenomena and an understanding of the necessary and sufficient conditions to produce them
LO4. develop skills in designing, conducting, interpreting experimental research in associative learning
LO5. develop skills in critically evaluating research, theory, and their application
LO6. gain an understanding of how basic learning principles can be applied to clinical, health and other issues in human behavior
LO7. develop skills in computational modeling with learning algorithms
LO8. demonstrate advanced data analysis skills relevant to human learning research.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Study commitment

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect

Current students

PSYC3911: Learning and Behaviour (Advanced)

Semester 1, 2023 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Study commitment

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect