FOUNDATIONS OF EXPERIMENTAL ANALYSIS OF BEHAVIOR
Course: EAB 3013c
Fall 2003, Tue/Thr
Dr.
Office: Bldg 39: 4066, Hrs: Mon and Tue:
Homepage: http://www.unf.edu/~iiversen/
email: iiversen@unf.edu
Lab Assistant:
Prerequisite for this class:
Having passed both Research
Methods and Research Methods Lab
I. Course Material:
1) Paul Chance, Learning and Behavior, 5th
Edition
2) APA style manual, 5th
Edition
3) Class presentations by students
(see below).
4) Lectures and handouts by
instructor (material placed on Blackboard)
5) Your own research data obtained
in the lab
II. Purpose of the course:
You will learn to set up and
conduct basic experiments in behavior analysis, read and write research
reports, talk about behavior analysis, draw and read graphs, and understand the
fundamentals of behavior from the perspective of operant conditioning. You will
also learn how to handle animals (rats) in a laboratory situation and learn
about ethical principles associated with animal research. This class should
give you considerable hands-on experience regarding how experiments are done,
how they are described, how results are handled from the very first raw data
numbers to the conclusion, how operant conditioning can be used to change
behavior, and how to prepare reports according to the APA style.
This class is a 4-credit hour
experimental psychology course. Therefore, you should expect to spend quite
some time interacting with the material we cover, including the actual hands-on
experience in the laboratory and the report writing.
The class meets twice each week
(Tue/Thr) for lectures and/or for laboratory sessions. Sometimes we will
lecture first for about 30 minutes and then run laboratory sessions for the
remainder of the class period. On occasion, we may need to add extra time
outside of the allotted class time for training of animals. We will arrange such
time periods as we move along in the semester.
III. Teaching methods:
You will be studying Learning and Behavior quite on your own.
It is not a difficult text, and it provides some very basic information. In
each class hour the instructor will highlight certain issues from the text,
present additional material, and lead discussions with the class. As additional
stimulation, we will see some videos about behavior analysis. Also, to
supplement the information from the textbook, students will give presentations
in class on assigned literature. We will also read some handouts of original
research articles on operant conditioning. Most importantly, you will acquire
some direct laboratory experience. The animals will no doubt teach you a lot,
so spend time with them.
Relevant material from the class
will be presented on Blackboard.
IV. Course Activities:
1) Experiments: In small groups of 2 or 3 students, you will conduct
three experiments with rats. The topics for the experiments serve to introduce
you to the basics of operant conditioning.
2) Reports: Prepare three laboratory reports, one for each of the
experiments you do. The first two reports must be prepared according to the APA
style manual, 5th edition. The third report is prepared by your
group and is prepared in “free style” – any way you want (however, it must be
typed and have illustrative material and references); for this third report,
each member of the group receives the same grade. You prepare the first two
reports on your own, and you are responsible for preparing these reports
according to the APA format. However, we will go through some of the APA guidelines
in class. Because you will be doing experiments with one or more partners, you
will have to collaborate to some extent on the reports regarding preparation of
graphs and details of the procedure. However, you are responsible for all of
your own report, and each student receives an independent grade for his/her own.
For the first two reports there is a source of extra credit in this course; you
can earn 5 points if you show a completely
finished report personally to the instructor or the lab assistant at least
one class period before it is due. You will get quick feedback on the report
and you can then fix possible mistakes before turning it in at the due date. In
addition, for the first two reports, if they are handed in personally at the beginning
of the class period on the due date,
you will receive an additional extra credit of 3 points. If you turn in your report
after the class period on the day it is due, 5 points will be subtracted for
each calendar day it is late, with the first day beginning when class ends on
the due date. Thus, if you turn in your report on the same day that it is due
but after class is over, 5 points will be subtracted from your credit; if you
hand in the report on the day after the due date, 10 points are subtracted, etc.
The first Experimental report is about
6 - 8 typed text pages long plus figures/tables and references (all prepared
according to APA style). The second Experimental report is a bit longer, about
8 - 12 typed pages. The third report (the free style – group report) should be
a minimum of 10 pages. For all reports you should perform a literature search
in the library so that you can include information about previous findings of
related experiments in your report. Your reports should make contact with such literature
in addition to describing the results of your experiment.
Report 1
describes Experiment 1, which is a simple demonstration of shaping by
successive approximation, acquisition of operant behavior, extinction of
operant behavior, and reacquisition of operant behavior. The entire report must
be prepared by you and should be prepared according to the minimal APA style
requirements (information will be given later).
Report 2 describes
Experiment 2, which is about discriminative control of operant behavior. The
entire report must be prepared by you and should be prepared according to the
minimal APA style requirements (information will be given later).
Report 3
describes Experiment 3, which you design yourself as a group. You come up with
an idea for the experiment well before you begin the project, and consult with
the instructor and or lab assistant regarding the feasibility of conducting the
experiment in the time period we have available. You should submit as a group a
1-2 page proposal (not APA style) to the instructor well in advance of
initiating Experiment 3. You should begin planning it while you are running
Experiment 2. There is no formal deadline for this proposal. This last Report 3
is prepared as a group project. Each student must contribute equally to the
report, and the report must have an attached, signed statement that outlines
what each student did. This report is “free style”, which means that you can
prepare it any way you want as long as it is typed and has illustrations and
references to literature. The third report is graded for the group, and each
member of the group earns the same grade. There is no opportunity for extra
credit for the third report, but you are, of course, welcome to show it to the
instructor and/or the lab assistant for feedback before you turn it in.
The
reports are graded with up to 20 points for Report 1, 40 points for Report 2,
and 50 points for Report 3.
3) Class presentation: Based on outside reading of original research
reports on behavior analysis, each student will give one class presentation for
the class for a 10-minute period. The topics for the class presentations will
be assigned by the instructor. You must write a 1‑page summary of your
presentation so that the other students can have some material about your
presentation (class presentation material appears on exams). You can either
copy these handouts yourself to pass around on the day of your presentation, or
you can give the summary to the instructor a few days prior to your
presentation; in that case the instructor provides the copies. Class
presentations are distributed over the semester such that the topics roughly
fit the chapters or handouts we will be reading at that time and such that you
will have sufficient time to prepare the presentation. The presenter is
expected to be able to answer questions about the material he/she presents.
Class presentations are graded and can earn up to 30 points. Using the overhead
projector and preparing the presentation with Power Point is encouraged.
4) Group Presentation: At the end of the
semester we will have a “conference” day, where each group presents the results
of their third experiment. Each presentation should last about 15 min and each
member of the group must participate in the preparation and give some part of
the presentation. Presentation of brief video clips from the last experiment is
strongly encouraged. A video camera is available in the laboratory. The group
should provide a 1-2 page summary of the contents of the presentation. This summary
should be handed out to the class prior to the presentation (as for the class
presentations). The group presentation is graded by the whole class; each
student in the group receives the same grade. The presentation can earn up to 20
points. Each member of the group has to be present for then entire Group
Presentation class period to earn the points (thus, points are subtracted if
you come late or leave early).
5) Exams: Three exams consist of multiple‑choice questions,
short‑answer questions, and questions related to graphical presentation
of data. Exams will cover selected material from Learning and Behavior, lecture material, handouts, class
presentations, videos, homework, laboratory experiments, etc. Each exam allows you to earn up to 50 points.
It is a good idea to bring a calculator
and a ruler to the exams.
6) Research Summaries: Each student should prepare three one‑page summaries of
actual research articles. The articles are available in journals in the UNF
library. You select them from a list supplied by the instructor. This task
serves to acquaint you with locating and reading experimental literature. Each
summary earns 5 points.
7) Homework: During the semester there
will be various homework or in-class assignments. The material is primarily library
assignments, data analysis, drawing of graphs, and some computer exercises,
etc. Due dates will be announced in class. Collectively, the homework
assignments earn up to 15 points for the entire semester.
The lab assistant will be available on occasion in the lab
as well as outside of class for assistance regarding data analysis, report
writing, APA style, class presentations, literature search, and other topics.
Appointments with the lab assistant should be negotiated with the assistant
directly and not with the instructor.
V. Grading. Final grade is based on the following points:
1: Report 1 20
2: Report 2 40
3: Report 3 50
4: Exam I 50
5: Exam II 50
6: Exam III 50
7: Class presentation 30
8:
Group Presentation 20
9: Three Summaries (5 points each) 15
10: Homework (in total) 15
Total Points: 340
Extra Credit:
APA style extra credit: Total 20
points.
You can earn up to 10 points for
each of Reports 1 and 2. Although it is required that you prepare these reports
according to the APA style, you can still earn extra credit for showing
comprehension of the APA style beyond what is covered in class. It is expected
that you adhere to a minimum requirement regarding the APA style which will be
part of the regular grade for the report (to be described later in the semester
in class and on handouts). Adding additional correct features not covered in
class enable you to receive the extra credit points, with up to 10 points for
each of the first two reports.
Additional extra credit: Total 16
points
You can earn 5 points for showing Report
1 and 2 before they are due (5 points each), and you can earn 3 points by personally
handing in Report 1 and 2 at the beginning of class when it is due (3 points
each)
Excluding the extra credit, a
total of 340 points can be earned. The final grade is calculated based on the
following criteria:
A: 340 ‑ 305
B: 304 - 270
C: 269 - 235
D: 234 ‑ 200
F: 199 ‑ 0
Notice
that this point system allows for each and every student to earn an A as a
final grade. An additional requirement for
earning a final grade of C or higher is that you must hand in all three Experimental
Reports.
There is
a formal laboratory attendance requirement. You are working in a group, so if
you come late, leave too early, go in and out of the lab during class, or fail
to come at all, it makes the research task more difficult for your lab
partners, and the research project may suffer from such problems. The
instructor/lab-assistant therefore takes attendance in the lab. Points will be
subtracted from the final grade for students who consistently come late, leave
too early, or repeatedly fail to appear in the lab, etc. A maximum of 30 points
can be subtracted. Legitimate reasons for occasionally failing to appear in the
lab, that can be documented, such as accidents, arrests, diseases, etc., will
not result in point deductions.
Notice: No food, drink, or candy (including
gum) is allowed in the animal laboratory. You will be asked to leave it outside
or to spit it out (gum). Rationale: The smell of food, candy, and gum disturbs
the rats and there is no space for drinks on the tables in the lab.
Notice: No paperwork such as Research
Summaries, Class Presentation handout, or Experimental Reports will be accepted
as submitted to the instructor via email.
Notice.: Any form of Plagiarism (using
other people’s material as if it is yours) or cheating during exams will result
in a final grade of F and a formal letter submitted to the Dean.
VI. Course Plan:
AUGUST
26 Tue Syllabus
and Introduction
28
Thr Psychology and the Reflex Chaps
1 + 2
Learning
and Behavior
SEPTEMBER
2 Tue Library Visit, meet in the
library Assignment
4 Thr Discuss
Library Assignment
Library
Assignment Due
9 Tue Learning and Behavior Chaps 1 + 2
11 Thr Basic
Graph Skills and Research Designs
Research Summary 1 due
16 Tue Pavlovian
Conditioning Chap 3 (p. 66-81)
18 Thr Pavlovian Conditioning (p. 91-104)
Research Summary 2 due
23 Tue EXAM 1: Chaps 1, 2, and 3
25
Thr Operant
Conditioning Chap 5
Report
writing, APA style
Research Summary 3 due
30 Tue Operant Conditioning Chap 5
OCTOBER
2 Thr Operant Conditioning Chap 5
Report
1 due
7 Tue Schedules of Reinforcement Chap 10
9 Thr Schedules of Reinforcement Chap 10
14 Tue Schedules of Reinforcement Chap 10
16 Thr Stimulus
Control Chap
9
21 Tue Stimulus
Control Chap
9
23 Thr Stimulus
Control Chap
9
28 Tue Exam 2: Chaps 5, 9, and 10
30 Thr Punishment Chap
6
NOVEMBER
4 Tue Punishment Chap
6
Report 2 Due
6 Thr Punishment Chap
6
11 Tue Holiday
13 Thr Operant
Application Chap 7
18 Tue Operant
Application Chap 7
20 Thr Operant
Application Chap 7
25 Tue Group Presentations
Report
3 due.
27 Thr
DECEMBER
2 Tue Limits to Learning Chap
12
4 Thr Exam 3: Chaps 6, 7, and 12