Reading in preparation for class.
Activities and Responsibilities
There will be brief, pre-scheduled quizzes at the beginnings of each meeting (except when experimental reports are due). These will be based upon the textbook, lectures, lab instructions from the packet, and upon a few additional articles which will be available for photocopying. The readings have been selected to facilitate your work on the writing assignments.
An interrelated set of four pre-designed experiments, demonstrating principles of
operant conditioning and single-subject research designs. In running the experiments, most
people will work in pairs, alternating between the roles of controller and recorder as the
procedures permit. Regarding your choice of a lab partner: You may be required to run
experiments past the scheduled class time on a few occasions when response criteria must
be met. One or both of you should be prepared to remain past the scheduled class time, if
necessary. With each report submitted, the previously submitted, graded report must also be
included. For example, when you submit Report No. 3, you must also include Report No. 2.
This way we can better judge the progress in your writing skills and accurately discern
whether you have heeded previous advice. Points will be deducted for failure to include
the appropriate prior reports. Please use staples or large clips to hold your papers
together, rather than plastic report covers or binders. Experiments and reports.
We supply parts of the research reports, especially early in the course. The grade credit
is weighted accordingly. Partners may share data (photocopied), but each writes the
complete reports independently. There is a 10-point bonus for each report submitted on
time, a 2-day grace period, and then a 5-point-per-day penalty for lateness. No reports
will be accepted more than two weeks past the scheduled due date.
These experiments and reports are directed toward developing skills of writing, as well as
toward dealing with the reality of scientific method. Pursuant to the former, your use of
a word-processing program is integral to your meeting the requirements of the course.
Computers are available for your use at various locations on campus. If you need to learn
word-processing skills, various tutorials are available in the Computing Center and at the
Copy Center.
The first few pages of the course packet provide details on animal care. Each student
has overall responsibility for his or her rat. Please read these pages carefully! Animal Care.
Initially, the project will involve preparing graphs showing data on some pattern of
behavior from your everyday world. Later, one or more systematic interventions will be
introduced. Recording of the relevant data should begin by the third week of the term.
Strategies for this project will be discussed in class. The final report on your project
takes the place of a final exam; it will be due on the first day of exam week. Individual Project on "Behavior
Analysis in the World of Human Affairs."