Whether teaching a dog a new trick or someone how to swim, Midland University’s PSY300: Psychology of Learning class constantly teaches new behaviors.
Dr. Connie Taylor, Professor of Psychology, has taught this course for 27 years. Through all those years, and all the projects, she continues to be impressed by what her students are capable of teaching others.
“It’s fun to see their creative projects. I’ve seen projects where students worked with dogs, taught someone how to drive a manual transmission, taught young children how to tie their shoes, and even taught someone how to swim,’ she said. “We also had students work with numerous animals over the years, including dogs, cats, cattle, goats, and fish.”
The course is offered each semester and mostly centers around sophomore-level students. The course is required for Psychology majors, but also can be a valuable learning tool for whatever major a student might be interested in. “We have a variety of students, like nursing, criminal justice, education, and this is a great opportunity for them to put what they have learned into practice,” Taylor said. “They are learning how to teach behaviors to other people.”
The first part of the course is spent learning the basics of operant conditioning before students are turned loose during the final 4 weeks of class to complete their projects of teaching a new behavior. Students usually work in groups of three and will document their progress throughout the process. “I want them to come up with their own ideas, and the purpose is for them to put into action the principles and procedures they have been learning,” Taylor said. “They are required to teach a living organism a new behavior using at least three principles we have learned in class (such as modeling, chaining, physical guidance, and positive reinforcement). We aren’t utilizing anything with punishment or unpleasant consequences. We don’t want them teaching to stop doing something, we want them teaching a new behavior.”
Emma Strom and Sydney Nelson each chose dogs for their various group projects, but took different avenues in picking their subjects. Strom chose her own dog (Shiloh), while Nelson and her group worked with a dog (Cleo) from a local animal shelter.
“My dog was a puppy at the time and already knew some tricks, so we wanted to teach her to jump through arms,” Strom said. “It was nice to work with my peers and train my pet at the same time. My favorite part was seeing how the concepts we learned in class could be applied to the real world. It was amazing to see how Shiloh first started by staring at our hands and walking away from us, to being able to comfortably jump through our arms in just a couple of days.” (View Emma and Shiloh’s training video.)
Nelson’s group taught Cleo how to roll over. “We didn’t think she was going to be able to do it, but the last session we had with her, she rolled over without a problem,” Nelson said. “I loved the project and getting to work with Cleo and make that connection was my favorite part. Seeing Cleo’s eyes light up when she was with us was priceless.”
Taylor said teaching animals new behavior takes the project to another level because animals aren’t as prone to be cooperative as humans can be. “You can really see the power of the operant principles when working with an organism that doesn’t use our language,” she said. “Going to an animal shelter, and working with a dog you don’t know earns even more bonus points. It’s really mutually beneficial for both groups as our students are teaching these animals new behaviors that might make them more adoptable.”
“They get graded on a difficulty curve, so working with an animal, or a child, is going to be more of a challenge than working with their roommate. I would rather have them tackle something challenging, and even if it doesn’t turn out perfect, they face more of a challenge.”
The final project counts for 20 percent of the student’s grade, a number that Taylor said students have pushed for. “It used to only be 10 percent, but students over the years wanted this to be a bigger part of their grade,” she said. “When they start the project, they are required to show me that whatever subject they are teaching is not yet capable of performing the new behavior. Then they begin implementing their procedures and at the end of the semester, they have to present in class (through a video presentation) and show the process.”
Strom said the lessons learned in teaching new behaviors have carried over into other aspects of her education. “This has helped me in other classes as I have learned to apply concepts I might not understand from class into the real world and make it relevant to me in order to help me remember,” she said. “I have also used the concepts learned in class to teach Shiloh more tricks.”
The principles learned and applied in this class are making Midland students become more critical thinkers in all aspects of life. “This is an opportunity for them to put into practice what they have learned,” Taylor said. “Many students tell me this project is what they will remember the most.”
