DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY

GOVERNMENT COLLEGE UNIVERSITY

Katchery Road, Lahore

COURSE HANDBOOK

1 Course Title Principles of Learning

2 Course Code Psy-2101
3 Credit Hours 48
4 Semester III
5 Course Instructor Isra Sarwar
6 Supporting Team Members
7 Contact Hours (Theory) 3 hours per week
8 Contact Hours (Lab) Not Applicable
9 Course Objectives

• To enable students to have better understanding of the process of learning

• To enable them to have better clarity of schedules of reinforcement and their
importance in the process of learning
• To enable them to have better understanding of application of classical &
operant conditioning in real life

10 Learning Outcomes
After completing this course, students should be able to:
I. To have better understanding of the process of learning
II. To have better clarity of schedules of reinforcement and their
importance in the process of learning
III. To have better understanding of application of classical & operant
conditioning in real life.

11 Course Contents

Introduction
Historical background :Mentalism vs reflexology
Comparative cognition and evolution of intelligence
Definition of learning and levels of analysis
Learning vs performance
Learning and other sources of behaviour change
Elicited Behaviour, Habituation and Sensitization
Nature of Elicited Behaviour
Dual-Process Theory of Habituation and Sensitization
Habituation and sensitization of emotions and its aftereffects
Opponent process theory of motivation
Classical Conditioning: Foundation
Early investigations
Experimental situations
Excitatory Pavlovian Conditioning Procedures
Inhibitory conditioning procedures
Classical Conditioning: Mechanisms
What makes Effective conditioned and unconditioned stimuli
Instrumental Conditioning: Foundation
Early Investigations
Modern Approaches
Instrumental Conditioning Procedures
Fundamental Elements of Instrumental Conditioning
Schedules of Reinforcement
Simple schedules of Instrumental Reinforcement
Choice Behaviour
Learning through Observation
Bandura’s Theory of Learning
Behaviour Therapy and its application

Weekly schedule and outline

Week 1 and 2: Introduction

Historical background: Mentalism vs reflexology
Comparative cognition and evolution of intelligence
Definition of learning and levels of analysis
Learning vs performance
Learning and other sources of behaviour change
Readings
Domjan, M. (2016). The Principles of Learning. Wadsworth Publication. USA
Relevant articles and researches
Week 3 and 4: Elicited Behaviour, Habituation and Sensitization
Nature of Elicited Behaviour
Dual-Process Theory of Habituation and Sensitization
Habituation and sensitization of emotions and its aftereffects
 Opponent process theory of motivation
Reading
Domjan, M. (2016). The Principles of Learning. Wadsworth Publication. USA
Relevant articles and researches
Week 5 and 6: Classical Conditioning: Foundation
Early investigations
Experimental situations
Excitatory Pavlovian Conditioning Procedures
Inhibitory conditioning procedures
Reading
Domjan, M. (2016). The Principles of Learning. Wadsworth Publication. USA
Relevant articles and researches
Week 7: Classical Conditioning: Mechanisms
What makes Effective conditioned and unconditioned stimuli
Reading
Domjan, M. (2016). The Principles of Learning. Wadsworth Publication. USA
Relevant articles and researches

Week 8: mid term exam

Week9 and 10: Instrumental Conditioning: Foundation

Early Investigations
Modern Approaches
Instrumental Conditioning Procedures
Fundamental Elements of Instrumental Conditioning
Reading
Domjan, M. (2016). The Principles of Learning. Wadsworth Publication. USA
Relevant articles and researches

Week 11 and 12: Schedules of Reinforcement

Simple schedules of Instrumental Reinforcement
Choice Behaviour
Reading
Domjan, M. (2016). The Principles of Learning. Wadsworth Publication. USA
Relevant articles and researches

Week 13: Learning through Observation

Bandura’s Theory of Learning
Behaviour Therapy and its application
Reading
Domjan, M. (2016). The Principles of Learning. Wadsworth Publication. USA
Relevant articles and researches

Week 14:
Project presentations and viva
Week 15:
Revision
Week 16:
final exams

Assessment policy

Response Papers (Semester Work) 30%

Mid Term Test 20%
Final Examination 50%

The minimum pass marks for each course are 50

Assessment schedule

1. Semester Work= 30 % weight (Assignment =15%,Two Quizs or project

=, 15%)

2. Midterm Examination =20%weight

i) Definitions of key words or concept or / andanswer MCQs=10 marks
ii) Essay type question =10 marks

3. End Term Examination = 50% weight

i) MCQs = 10 marks
Long questions : 40 marks
Attendance policy

• Attendance must be at least 80 percent to be eligible to appear in the

final semesterexams.