Course Description

Psychology of Learning and Language

This introductory course will provide you with a basic knowledge of psychological principles related to learning and language. Learning is defined as relatively long-lasting behavioral change as a consequence of experience. This definition covers a wide range of behaviors, both adaptive and maladaptive. To correct maladaptive behaviors in children, or to treat patients with mental disorders such as depression, one must know behavioral modification techniques grounded in psychological education.
In the first nine sessions of this course, you will be introduced to basic principles of learning; i.e., respondent (Pavlovian) and operant (instrumental) conditioning. Then, we will proceed to such topics as learning and cognition, motivation, and memory. Finally, application of these concepts to clinical problems will be discussed.
The latter six sessions of this lecture deal with the psychology of language, which is also an important research field in psychology. The topics will include cognitive development and acquisition of language, mechanisms of understanding spoken language, and clinical problems such as aphasia and communication disorders.
This course is a prerequisite for obtaining the Certified Public Psychologist (CPP) license. Thus, students considering getting their CPP license are highly advised to take this course.