Cardiff: Psychology:

MSc Psychiatry / Diploma in Psychological Medicine
Additional Links and Information for Vaughan's Learning Theory Lecture

Royal College of Psychiatrists criteria for this topic The candidate should be able to describe in detail: classical, operant, observational and cognitive models of learning concepts of extinction and reinforcement in explaining behaviour learning processes and the aetiological formulation of clinical problems, including the concepts of generalisation, secondary reinforcement, incubation and stimulus preparedness. the clinical applications of behavioural treatments, including the techniques of reciprocal inhibition, habituation, chaining, shaping, cueing, escape and avoidance conditioning the impact of reinforcement schedules and the psychology of punishment.

Recommended reading Chapter 7 of: Atkinson, R.L., Atkinson, R.C., Smith, E.E. (1999) Hilgard's introduction to psychology (13th edition). Fort Worth: Harcourt. (Previous editions are fine also) Although almost any of the comprehensive undergraduate books on psychology should have a good review of conditioning and behaviourism.

Web resources Please note: These are not required reading, but you may find the following useful if you wish to expand on topics you have found particularly interesting. Behaviourism Psychology as the behaviorist views it by John B. Watson. Conditioning Social learning theory Original paper of Bandura's "Bobo Doll" experiment The Pleasure Principle: Connections between Reward and Learning