Comparative Cognition

PY364

Instructor: Dr. Rick Burns

Text: Principles of Animal Cognition by William A. Roberts

 

Background of the Instructor

 

            In the summer of 1965, after having driven a truck and moonlighted as a janitor for the two years since essentially flunking out of the University of Florida, I enrolled in an Introductory Psychology course with Professor D. W. Abbott at Stetson University. Abbott was a Ph. D. from the laboratory of John Ayres at the University of Massachusetts. His dissertation examined stimulus generalization in classical conditioning of the human eyelid response (see pages 127 - 129 of your text). This course led to my decision to become what I then called a ‘research psychologist.’ I built my first laboratory at Stetson and began doing experiments on successive negative contrast effects (see page 153). I also worked with another student, Jim Thomas (now Dr. Thomas, psychology, Northern Kentucky University), on designing experiments to test E. J. Capaldi’s sequential theory (page 152).

 

            My masters degree in experimental psychology was taken with Professor M. E. Bitterman (see, e.g. pages 20-21) at the University of South Florida. While working in Bitterman’s lab, I did research on autoshaping (page 130), discrimination learning  (e.g., 143-145), contrast (153), observational learning, satiation, and comparative studies of fish, turtles, pigeons, rats, & crows. It was a bountiful research experience.

 

            My Ph. D. mentor was H. D. Kimmel, best known for the work that led to Biofeedback. Professor Kimmel, however, was a scholar who translated some of the primary works of Pavlov into English. He is also the author of the most widely cited studies of classical conditioning in planaria (not cited, for some reason, in your text, though the work on invertebrate learning by Bitterman -- with bees -- is well cited, page 21). Although I worked with Kimmel on human classical conditioning of the GSR, and the relationship between learned stress and morphine addiction in monkeys, my doctoral dissertation was a theoretical evaluation of sequential theory that grew directly from my undergraduate work with Thomas.

 

            For 15 years, I was professor of psychology at Georgia Southwestern College in Americus. The research I conducted there could be said to fall into three general categories: (1) The theoretical importance of successive contrast effects in associative learning (pages 121-167), (2) serial learning and memory (pages 266-300), and (3) numerical processing in animals (pages 301-334).

 

 

 

            The work on numerical processing and serial learning continues at Southeast where we have been developing a theory of serial learning and ‘counting’ that emphasizes the learning of cues associated with the ordinal position of the elements of a series.

 

            The point of the background description is to show you that for a long time I have been involved in research on many of the issues covered in the course. But this is the first course I have ever taught covering these topics, and it is only the second time I have taught it. Although I have involved well over 100 students in my research, the research has never been the focus of my teaching. Naturally, I am looking forward to the course.

 

Course Policies

 

            The Condensed Sequence of Activities for the course is attached. My plan is to progress as systematically as possible through the some of the topics covered in the book. Past experience has made it clear that we cannot cover the entire book in one semester, so I have selected the topics that I think are most important. My hope is that you get interested in animal cognition and decide on your own to read chapters that I have not assigned. Remember too that unassigned chapters are good sources of information for your term papers. Although I will assign outside readings from time to time, the selected chapters from the book (Animal Cognition) will be the primary source of information.

 

            I strongly encourage class discussions. Each class period will consist of informal lectures designed to encourage discussion. Reading the assigned material is very important. Having meaningful discussions about the issues is hard to do if my lectures are the students’ only source of information.

 

            There will be 5 letter grades assigned in the course. The final course grade results from averaging the 5 letter grades. For example, if you have the following letter grades - A, A, A, B, B -- you will have an A in the course; A, A, A, B, C -- you will have a B; and so on. Of the 5 grades, three will be from exams. The exams will be given on the following approximate dates: September 22, November 10, and December 11. The December 11 date is the date scheduled for the final exam, but the exam will simply be the third exam for us, not a comprehensive final. The fourth grade will result from a paper (described on an attached page, Explanation of the Term Paper) covering a general theme in comparative cognition. This paper will be due December 1. The fifth grade comes from little assignments that I will make from time to time. Most of the assignments will be short, written assignments such as summarizing a study described in the book, looking up and summarizing a paper using PsycInfo, and writing an essay on some issue covered in class. I have also established an electronic discussion page for PY364 (http://rchburns.la.semo.edu/PY364/), and the quality of your discussion on that page will be a part (30 points) of the little points (about 100 points total) grade. Twice during the semester (October 11 and December 8), I will assign each of you up to 15 points depending upon the quality of your contributions to the electronic discussion.

 

            The exams will be essay and short discussion exams. More than in my other classes, material from the book will be emphasized. I will prepare lists of study questions to help you prepare for the exams. The grade on the exams will be determined by your position on the distribution of exam scores. I do not have a 90-100; 80-99; etc. standard grading scale.  With each exam, I will carefully explain the logic of the relative grading system.

 

            The last day to withdraw from the course without the instructor’s permission is October 27. Withdrawal after that date will be approved only if there are reasons for the request that involve factors beyond your control. Requests to withdraw based on poor academic performance per se will not be approved.

 

Office Hours and Availability

 

            My official office hours will be 11-12 MWF, but you should feel completely at ease to come to my office any time you like. If the door is open (it almost always is), walk right in. The phone in my office is 651-2133. The department secretary, Vicki Thompson can be reached at 651-2132. My home telephone is 334-5230, and my e-mail is (rburns@semovm.semo.edu).