Understanding Environmental Influence on Human Behavior 

Why do individuals act the way they do?  Why do an individual’s study routines, exercise regimens, or thought process can differ from a roommate, best friend, or even sibling? It comes down to how we learn and how the environment can affect our behavior. These ideas are studied in the Psychology of Learning (PSY 253), one of the many summer courses offered at Assumption, taught by Karen Lionello-DeNolf, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology and director of the Applied Behavior Analysis program. 

“This course is all about understanding behavior—why people and animals do the things they do,” said Prof. Lionello-DeNolf, adding that the course looks at both innate behavior and learned behavior, and all of the different ways that the environment influences behavior.  “We cover a lot of examples of human behavior in a variety of situations, really focusing on understanding how different aspects of the environment interact to cause someone to act, or think, in one way versus another.”

According to Prof. Lionello-DeNolf, the course provides students with different perspectives to consider when they are thinking about their own behavior and that of others, then use that knowledge to help improve their own behavior.  “I really want students to start to think about how they can answer questions they have about behavior in a systematic way,” she said. 

Regardless of a student’s major, the course can be applied to complement several academic disciplines. According to Prof. Lionello-DeNolf, the lessons learned in this class go far beyond psychology. 

“Because this course focuses on understanding behavior, students in a variety of majors should be able use the knowledge gained in this class,” she explained.  “For example, many of the behavioral principles we cover are used in classroom applications, and students majoring in education who have taken the class have talked about relevance to what they plan to do as teachers. Understanding of how the environment influences behavior may also be relevant to students majoring in business, particularly those who are interested in organizational behavior management.”

Understanding one’s behavior can also help students improve aspects of their personal lives. “I am really happy when students are able to take some of the behavior principles we talk about in this class in order to come to a better understanding of why they do the things they do,” said Prof. Lionello-DeNolf. “They can then use those tools in self-management – for example, they can learn ways to improve their study habits or to maintain an exercise program long-term.”

During the summer, Assumption provided students the opportunity to catch up or advance their academic program through a wide array of courses during each of its two summer sessions. Learn more about Assumption’s summer semester course offerings.