Course guide of Conditioning, Motivation and Emotion (2641118)

General computer skills, e-mail, and internet proficiency are required.

Given that teaching is conducted entirely in English, a B2 level of English proficiency (CEFR, https://europass.europa.eu/en/common-european-framework-reference-language-skills) is strongly recommended. A lower level may compromise students' ability to follow the course and achieve satisfactory academic results.

Descriptors: Conditioning and Learning, Motivation, Emotion

Content:

Introduction to learning, motivation, and emotion. Habituation and sensitization. Learning about relationships among events. Learning about relationships between behavior and outcomes/consequences. What motivates our behavior? Some specific motivations. The emotional experience: Some specific emotions.

• Cognitive learning outcomes: Gain a deep understanding of the fundamentals of animal and human learning, including the basic principles related to learning conditions, contents, underlying mechanisms, and translation into performance. Be able to describe and recognize the experimental preparations and procedures used in the study of conditioning. Identify and distinguish different theoretical models of motivation and emotion, as well as their essential concepts and current research perspectives.
• Procedural Competences / Skills: Accurately apply the terminology and concepts specific to the Psychology of Learning. Deduce, identify, and describe the behavioral effects and phenomena produced by the most common experimental conditions. Deduce, predict, and describe the behavioral effects and phenomena that a novel learning procedure would produce. Critically evaluate the validity of different theoretical models of learning. Link motivational and emotional processes with other fundamental processes in Psychology. Understand research strategies related to these processes.
• Attitudinal Competences / Values: Foster the view of learning processes as psychological processes designed to acquire flexible and dynamic knowledge in interaction with the environment. Appreciate the importance of learning within the applied fields of Psychology. Promote a scientific approach when tackling psychological problems. Encourage positive attitudes toward scientific research. Foster respect for theoretical diversity. Appreciate the importance of motivational and emotional processes in relation to the applied aspects of Psychology. Promote a favorable attitude toward scientific research. Understand and respect ethical regulations in research.

• Unit 1. Conditioning and learning about relationships between events

• Unit 2. Instrumental Conditioning.

• Unit 3. Motivation.

• Unit 4. Emotion.

The goal of these sessions is to reinforce the material covered in class, as well as to broaden student understanding through multidisciplinary contexts.

• Unit 1. Practical Sessions on Habituation, Sensitization, and Classical Conditioning.

• Unit 2. Practical Sessions on Instrumental Conditioning.

• Unit 3. Practical Sessions on Motivation.

• Unit 4. Practical Sessions on Emotion.

To complete this practical syllabus, different activities will be carried out using one or more of the following modalities:

• Seminars / Workshops

• Reading and discussion of scientific articles

• Group presentations of scientific articles

• Assignments on course-related topics

• Presentation and defense of theoretical theses based on literature reviews

• Case study design and analysis involving processes and phenomena of learning, emotion, and motivation

• Self-assessments on the PRADO platform covering the course syllabus

• Laboratory Practicals

• Classroom Practicals

Bouton, M. (2015). Learning and Behavior: A Contemporary Synthesis (2nd Edition). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Domjan, M., & Delamater, A. (2023). The Essentials of Conditioning and Learning (5th Edition). American Psychological Association.

Haselgrove, M. (2016). Learning: A very short introduction. Oxford University Press.

Reeve, J. (2024). Understanding motivation and emotion (8th Edition). John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Aguado, L. (2018). Emoción, Afecto y Motivación (2ª ed.). Alianza Editorial. Psicología y Educación

Bouton, M. E. y Fanselow, M. S. (Eds.). (1997). Learning and motivation: the functional behaviorism of R. C. Bolles. Washington: APA

Cándido, A. (Ed.) (2000). Introducción a la psicología del aprendizaje asociativo. Madrid:Biblioteca Nueva.

De Houwer, J. y Hughes, S. (2020). The Psychology of Learning: An Introduction from a Functional-Cognitive Perspective. Cambridge: MIT Press.

Haslgrove, M. & Hogarth, L. (Eds.) (2012). Clinical Applications of Learning Theory. Psychology Press.

Fanselow, M. S. (2018). Emotion, motivation and function. Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences, 19, 105-109

Gorman, P. (2004). Motivation and emotion. Routledge.

Keltner, D., Oatley, K. y Jenkins, J.M. (2014). Understanding emotions (3rd ed.). Malden, MA: Wiley.

Klein, S. B. (2015). Learning: Principles and applications (7th edition). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

Mazur, J.E. (2013). Learning and Behavior (7ª ed.). N.J.: Prentice-Hall.

Pearce, J. M. (2008). Animal learning and conditioning: An introduction. New York: Psychology Press.

Phelps, E., Delgado M. R, & Robbins, T. W. (2011). Decision Making, Affect, and Learning. (2011). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Rolls, E. (2007). Emotion explained. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

https://prado.ugr.es/

Domjan & Delamater's (2023) book: Students Resources:

• Chapter Summaries and Practice Quiz Questions available at: https://www.apa.org/pubs/books/essentials-conditioning-learning-fifth-edition?tab=6
• Michael Domjan's youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26u11HdYQRU

Dale Swartzentruber's youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@daleswartzentruber

De Houwer & Hughes' (2020) book is available online at: https://www.psychologyoflearning.be/

Gorman's (2004) book is available online through the UGR library

• MD01. Lección magistral/expositiva 
• MD07. Seminarios 
• MD09. Análisis de fuentes y documentos 
• MD10. Realización de trabajos en grupo 
• MD11. Realización de trabajos individuales 
• MD13. Tutorías individual/colectiva, Participación (foros del curso, exposiciones públicas), Autoevaluaciones, Presentación y defensa de informes grupales o individuales 

Course Assessment

Course assessment will be carried out by combining final exam performance and continuous assessment. The purpose of the exam is to assess the acquired knowledge, and it will account for 60% of the final grade. Alongside these, students have to complete other activities that will be continuously assessed, allowing them to achieve a maximum of 40% of the total grade.

These activities may include:

• Preparation of reports on syllabus contents

• Preparation of reports on readings

• In-class presentations of readings

• Assignments on course-related topics

• In-class presentations of individual and/or group projects

• Attendance and completion of practical activities

• Attendance and active class participation

• Reading comprehension quizzes, conducted in class or during tutorials

• Self-assessments via the PRADO educational platform

Exactly the same as the regular assessment for students who choose to be evaluated that way. For those who do not opt for this track, there will be an examination covering all course contents, which will allow them to obtain a maximum score of 10 points.

Students who provide dynamic justification for being unable to follow the continuous assessment system may request a single final assessment. This is subject to applying within the official deadlines and meeting the requirements established by the University of Granada regulations for such cases.

This single final assessment will consist of an examination on the course contents, featuring 10 questions with a maximum response length of half a page each.

• If AI tools are used throughout the course, students must adopt an ethical and responsible approach. They should follow the guidelines outlined in the document Recommendations for the Use of Artificial Intelligence at UGR, available at: https://ceprud.ugr.es/formacion-tic/inteligencia-artificial/recomendacionesia#contenido0

• Participation in Research Conducted by Members of the Department of Experimental Psychology:

Research participation is an educational activity that allows students to experience firsthand the techniques that contribute to the advancement of psychological science, as well as to practice the tasks that will be referenced in the contents of their various courses.

It is important to note that participation in this research is entirely voluntary, as stated in the "Guía de buenas prácticas y consideraciones éticas en la investigación que implique la participación del alumnado matriculado en asignaturas impartidas por el profesorado de la Facultad de Psicología de la Universidad de Granada" (Guide to Good Practices and Ethical Considerations in Research Involving the Participation of Students Enrolled in Courses Taught by the Faculty of Psychology of the University of Granada), approved by the Faculty Board on May 30, 2019.

Each student can earn a maximum of 0.5 points toward their final course grade through research participation. Students will receive 0.1 points for each participation session lasting 45 minutes or less.

To ensure anonymity and comply with the guidelines set forth in the aforementioned "Guide to Good Practices," both participating in studies and selecting the department courses to which these grade fractions will be applied must be done through the following platform: https://ugr-cimcyc.sona-systems.com/. This platform is designed so that faculty members cannot know whether their students have participated in any of their studies, nor can students identify which research projects are conducted by the professors teaching their classes.

The sum of the final course grade and the research participation points can never exceed the grading system limit established in Article 22.2 of the Normativa de Evaluación y Calificación de los Estudiantes de la Universidad de Granada (Student Assessment and Grading Regulations of the University of Granada). Should this occur, students who wish to do so may request during the grade review session with their professor that the surplus credit be returned to them, allowing them to apply it to another department course within their degree program.

Students who choose not to participate in these research studies can obtain an equivalent score by completing alternative activities offered by the Department of Experimental Psychology.

• Students with specific educational support needs

Teaching methodology and assessment will be adapted for students with specific educational support needs (NEAE), in accordance with Article 11 of the Normativa de evaluación y de calificación de los estudiantes de la Universidad de Granada (Student Assessment and Grading Regulations of the University of Granada), published in the Official Gazette of the University of Granada (Boletín Oficial de la Universidad de Granada), No. 112, November 9, 2016.

Useful information for students with disabilities and/or Specific Educational Support Needs (NEAE): Management of services and support (https://ve.ugr.es/servicios/atencionsocial/estudiantes-con-discapacidad).