Introduction to Learning and Behavior

Designed to apply learning theory and principles to the presentation of learning, this text shows how learning principles work in both animals and people. Throughout the book, the authors show how the study of learning helps solve practical problems, such as improving study skills, improving relationships, raising children, and effectively stopping smoking. This book is both solidly based in research and engaging for the student. To help ensure that students understand the materials, the authors strategically include multiple opportunities for review and self-testing within the text.

Dr. Russell Powell earned his Ph.D. in psychology under the late Frank Epling and David Pierce at the University of Alberta. As a long-standing faculty member at MacEwan University in Edmonton, Alberta, he has taught classes in learning and behavior for over 30 years using a variety of behaviorally inspired formats. He has published and conducted research in a wide range of areas, including operant conditioning, social psychology, sleep and dreams (especially nightmares), self-regulation, and history of psychology. Most recently, he helped identify the individual believed to have been Little Albert, the infant in whom Watson and Rayner (1920) attempted to condition a phobia of furry animals (American Psychologist; Powell, Digdon, Harris, and Smithson, 2014).

Diane Symbaluk received her Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Alberta in 1997, with a specialization in criminology and social psychology. She joined MacEwan University in 1996 in order to pursue her joint passion for teaching and research mentorship. She has taught courses in a variety of areas including social psychology, criminology, statistics, and research methods. She is presently the faculty advisor for MacEwan University's Community-Based Sociology Project, a supervised student-led research program. Her extensive list of publications includes textbooks, journal articles, and more than forty pedagogical resources (e.g., study guides, test banks, instructor manuals, and online resources). A distinguished teaching award winner, Diane is currently conducting research on published student ratings of instruction and character strengths of award-winning instructors.

Lynne Honey -- a self-described "evolutionary behaviorist" -- completed a Ph.D. in experimental psychology in Jeff Galef's lab at McMaster University, studying the role of social learning on alcohol consumption in rats. She has published a number of papers on this topic and considers social learning to be one of the most powerful adaptations available to our species and others. Dr. Honey joined the Department of Psychology at MacEwan University in 2003 because of its focus on teaching and student engagement. She currently conducts research on human social behavior in an evolutionary context, including studies of social dominance, and the influence of personality traits on social behaviors. She also studies the effectiveness of various teaching methods, including peer-review and various uses of technology for learning, and has won an award for innovation in teaching.