Skinner’s theory of Operant Conditioning

 

PSY-101: Application Assignment – DUE SUNDAY 1/23/22

For our Application Assignment, you must first select at least one of the major topics (i.e., chapters) in

Psychology (e.g., Chapter 6: Learning). Once you’ve selected a topic, you can begin working on the

assignment. It accounts for 10 points (i.e., 10% of your grade).

Your goal is to APPLY the terms, concepts, and theories from the topic to real-world situations and people. In

short, you should tell a story (or stories) that apply the terms, concepts, and theories from the topic

you selected. You can apply the information to your own past experience, that of a family member or friend,

or you can create fictional people that go through hypothetical situations. We can consider this a “reflection”

(NOT research) paper as we’re required to produce original examples of the psychological concepts in action.

For example, I could apply Pavlov’s theory of Classical Conditioning (see Chapter 6) by writing about how I’ve

been conditioned to fear insects. I would, in detail, discuss how all of the related concepts (e.g.,

stimulus-response associations, extinction, stimulus generalization) apply to my experience. I would also write

applications for Skinner’s theory of Operant Conditioning and Bandura’s theory of Observational Learning if I

were to select the topic of Learning for this assignment.

Your paper MUST be typed, double-spaced, and contain A MINIMUM of 1,000 words (this equates to

roughly four double-spaced pages of writing). Your paper will be graded using the following rubric:

Problematic (0 to 3 points)

Progressing (4 to 6 points)

Proficient (7 to 8 points)

Perfection (9 to 10 points)

Complete absence or misunderstanding of how

the material can be applied

Minimal understanding of how the material can

be applied

Moderate understanding of how the material can

be applied

Complete understanding of how the material can

be applied

It is expected that you find at least three additional resources (other than our online text) to supplement your

understanding of the topic you select. Your paper will be submitted through Turn It In which will check it for

instances of plagiarism, so PLEASE be sure to cite the source of all unoriginal information that you share.

You should use this Google Doc as a template for APA style.

Please be sure to produce original applications, so you’ll only need to cite others’ work when first introducing

the big ideas. For example, you SHOULD NOT write about Pavlov’s Dog to apply Classical Conditioning, but

you should most definitely introduce the theory of Classical Conditioning before applying it, citing your sources.

PLEASE… make sure your applications are YOUR APPLICATIONS and not someone else’s.

 

 

I strongly recommend that you follow these steps in completing this assignment: 1) Pick a topic, 2) Make an

outline, 3) Write your applications, 4) Write an introduction and conclusion, 5) Proofread and revise, 6)

PROOFREAD AND REVISE AGAIN, 7) Submit.

Here is a list of the major reasons students lose points on this assignment:

1. They plagiarize. They do not cite their sources and therefore pass others’ ideas off as their own.

2. They overuse other authors’ exact words. Even if cited, it’s hard for me to assess your

understanding of the material if much of your paper is just a copy/pasting of others’ work.

3. They did not cover enough content. I’m expecting a MINIMUM of 1,000 words. Students with perfect

scores tend to submit papers that are around 1,250+ words (i.e., roughly 5+ double-spaced pages).

4. They do not successfully apply the terms, concepts, and theories from the topic. They either do not

accurately apply the terms and concepts from the topic, or, they produce unoriginal applications.

5. They submit a paper that lacks structure and doesn’t flow well. There’s no formal introduction or

conclusion, or the ideas are all over the place and don’t follow a connected stream of thought.

A space will become available under Week 3 where you will upload this assignment. You MUST upload

either a Microsoft Word .docx or a .pdf file to ensure that the system can process your paper. If working in

Google Docs (or some other word processor), PLEASE be sure to download/save as a .docx or .pdf before

submitting.

This Application Assignment is due by 11:59pm on Sunday, January 23, 2022. Please be sure to submit

your paper on time, otherwise, I may need to submit your final grade to the college without your Application

Assignment score.

Please let me know if you have any questions:

[email protected]