PSY 760: Behavior Analysis Seminar
BEHAVIORAL DYNAMICS
Summer, 2007

Francis Mc Sweeney, Ph. D.
Department of Psychology,
Washington State University,
Pullman, WA 99164-4820.  
fkmcs@wsu.edu

COURSE OUTLINE

This course will provide an overview of the findings and their interpretations in the area of behavioral dynamics. The first section of the course will focus on the original findings and early theories. The second section will address the matter of habituation versus satiation and the rationale for choosing between these alternatives. The third section of the course will deal with the theoretical and applied implications of the findings in this area. I’ve given you a relatively extensive reading list to provide references to most of the topics that I will cover in the course.  I’ve put an asterisk in front of seven references that you may want to read to understand what I will cover. 

Course Requirements

Students are expected to attend all class meetings. A 10-page, double-spaced paper is required. You may write on any topic related to the course, broadly defined.  If you have questions about an appropriate topic, please discuss them with me.  Your paper should be well-organized and well-written.  You should cover the most important points in a critical manner that leads to significant conclusions.  Papers are due by July 6, 2007. You may email your paper to me at or send it by regular mail at the addresses shown above. Earlier submissions are welcome and encouraged. Late papers will not be accepted.

Course Dates & Times

The course will be held from 9-3 p.m., June 25-27, 2007, with the final paper due on or before July 6, 2007.

COURSE CALENDAR

Monday, June 25: The Original Finding and Early Theories

The Original Finding

* McSweeney, F. K., & Hinson, J. M. (1992).  Patterns of responding within sessions. 
Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 58, 19-36.

McSweeney, F. K., & Roll, J. M. (1993).  Responding changes systematically within
sessions during conditioning procedures.  Journal of the Experimental Analysis of
Behavior, 60, 621-640. 

Early Theories

Recovery from Handling

McSweeney, F. K., & Johnson, K. S. (1994).  The effect of time between sessions on
within-session patterns of responding.  Behavioural Processes, 31, 207-218. 

Anticipation of Events that Follow the Session

McSweeney, F. K., Weatherly, J. N., & Swindell, S. (1995).  Prospective factors
contribute little to within-session changes in responding.  Psychonomic Bulletin &
Review, 2, 234-238. 

Arousal

McSweeney, F. K., Swindell, S., & Weatherly, J. N. (1996).  Within-session changes in
responding during concurrent schedules with different reinforcers in the
components.  Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 66, 369-390. 

Interference from Adjunctive Behaviors and Arrousal

McSweeney, F. K., Swindell, S., & Weatherly, J. N. (1996).  Within-session changes in
adjunctive and instrumental responding.  Learning and Motivation, 27, 408-427. 

Interference from Exploration

Roll, J. M., & McSweeney, F. K. (1997).  Within-session changes in operant responding
when gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus) serve as subjects.  Current Psychology, 15,
340-345.

Responding

McSweeney, F. K., Weatherly, J. N., & Roll, J. M. (1995).  Within-session changes in
responding during concurrent schedules that employ two different operanda.
 Animal Learning & Behavior, 23, 237-244. 

McSweeney, F. K., Weatherly, J. N., Roll, J. M., & Swindell, S. (1995).  Within-session
patterns of  responding when the operandum changes during the session. 
Learning and Motivation, 26, 403-420. 

Attention

McSweeney, F. K., Roll, J. M., & Weatherly, J. N. (1994).  Within-session changes in
responding during several simple schedules.  Journal of the Experimental
Analysis of Behavior, 62, 109-132. 

McSweeney, F. K., Weatherly, J. N., & Swindell, S. (1996).  Within-session changes in
responding during delayed matching-to-sample and discrimination procedures.
Animal Learning & Behavior, 24, 290-299. 

The Response-reinforcer Contingency

McSweeney, F. K., Swindell, S., & Weatherly, J. N. (1996).  Within-session changes in
responding during autoshaping and automaintenance procedures.  Journal of the
Experimental Analysis of  Behavior, 66, 51-61. 

Reinforcer Effectiveness

McSweeney, F. K., Weatherly, J. N., & Swindell, S. (1996). Reinforcer value may
change within experimental sessions.  Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 3, 372-
375. 

Tuesday, June 26: Satiation vs. Habituation

What is Habituation?

*McSweeney, F. K., & Roll, J. M. (1998).  Do animals satiate or habituate to repeatedly
presented reinforcers?  Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 5, 428-442.   

* McSweeney, F. K., & Murphy, E. S. (2000).  Criticisms of the satiety hypothesis as an
explanation for within-session decreases in responding.  Journal of the
Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 74, 347-361. 

McSweeney, F. K. (2004). Dynamic changes in reinforcer effectiveness:  Satiation and
habituation have different implications for theory and practice. The Behavior
Analyst, 27, 171-188.

Why Prefer Habituation to Satiation? - Data

* McSweeney, F. K., Hinson, J. M., & Cannon, C. B. (1996).  Sensitization-habituation
may occur during operant conditioning.  Psychological Bulletin, 120, 256-271.  

Roll, J. M., McSweeney, F. K., Johnson, K. S., & Weatherly, J. N.  (1995). Satiety
contributes little to within-session decreases in responding.  Learning and
Motivation, 26, 323-341. 

* McSweeney, F. K., & Swindell, S. (1999).  General-process theories of motivation
revisited:  The role of habituation. Psychological Bulletin, 125, 437-457. 

McSweeney, F. K., Murphy, E. S., & Kowal, B. P.  (2005). Regulation of drug taking by
sensitization and habituation.  Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology,
13, 163-184.

Murphy, E. S., McSweeney, F. K., Kowal, B. P., McDonald, J., & Wiediger, R. V.
(2006). Spontaneous recovery and dishabituation of ethanol-reinforced responding in alcohol-preferring rats. Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology, 14, 471-482.