Traditional Learning Theories

Traditional Learning Theories

Traditional Learning Theories assignment: Prior to beginning work on this discussion, please read McSweeney & Murphy (2014) Part 1: Basic Classical Conditioning (Chapters 1 through 3) and Part 3: Basic Operational Conditioning (Chapters 8 through 10). Also, view the required video Classical and Operant Conditioning.

Include the following components in your initial post:

• Compare and contrast the general theories proposed by Pavlov and Skinner.

Pavlov and Skinner were two psychologists who pioneered the ideas of conditioning, contributing greatly to behavior theory and helping to develop new ideas and techniques for training and changing behavior. Both of them were deeply involved with the idea that behaviors were conditioned and therefore learned—and thus could be changed.

Pavlov, famous for his experiment with feeding dogs while ringing a bell to train them to salivate at the sound of said bell, believed in what he called “classical conditioning.” He trained behaviors based on external events. He placed an instigation signal and stimulus to train unconscious behaviors in the dogs. He believed that a stimulus would create a reflexive response, and that response could be adapted.

Skinner, on the other hand, dealt with conscious behaviors and decisive actions of individuals. Experimenting primarily with rats, he rewarded and punished certain behaviors, training them to do specific things such as pulling levers. His belief was contradictory to Pavlov’s, thinking that an action would produce a stimulus and therefore impact the individual’s response to and acceptance of said action.

In reality, both of their ideas are true and fundamental to an understanding of psychology, because there are both conscious and unconscious actions that take place in our daily lives.

• Examine and describe the researcher’s contribution(s) to psychology theory and practice.
• Examine the major theoretical approaches proposed by the authors including any related research methods and/or assessment instruments associated with him or her.
• Evaluate any issues and cultural considerations associated with your assigned theorist.
• Analyze and describe how the American Psychological Association (APA) Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct might affect the implementation of your theorist’s personality assessments.
• Assess the types of personality measurements and research designs associated with your assigned theorist and describe how they have evolved.

In addition to the required resources for the learning theories, research a minimum of one peer-reviewed article from the Ashford University Library regarding classical or operant conditioning within the field of psychology. Your initial post should be a minimum of 500 words.

Guided Response to Traditional Learning Theories:

Review several of your colleagues’ posts and respond substantively to at least three of your peers by 11:59 p.m. on Day 7 of the week. You have encouragement to post your required replies early each week to stimulate more meaningful and interactive discourse in your discussions. Continue to monitor the discussion forum until 5:00 p.m. Mountain Standard Time (MST) on Day 7 of the week and respond to anyone who replies to your initial post. Peer responses may vary in length but detailed and thought provoking. Your grade will reflect both the quality of your initial post and the depth of your responses.

Consider the following in your responses:

• Were the theories complementary, or did they exist in conflict?
• Provide specific examples of divergence between the theories as described.

• Were there associated issues and/or cultural considerations your classmate did not mention that should have been included in his or her initial post?
• What ethical consideration(s) should have been included?
• How does your explanation of classical and operant conditioning differ from your peers’ explanations?

Pose questions that could encourage facilitation of the discussion. Look for peers whose posts have not yet been responded to and reply to these so that everyone has a chance to reflect and develop their knowledge more fully.

ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE CLASS

Discussion Questions (DQ)

• Initial responses to the DQ should address all components of the questions asked, including a minimum of one scholarly source, and be at least 250 words.
• Successful responses are substantive (i.e., add something new to the discussion, engage others in the discussion, well-developed idea) and include at least one scholarly source.
• One or two-sentence responses, simple statements of agreement, or “good post,” and responses that are off-topic will not count as substantive. Substantive responses should be at least 150 words.
• I encourage you to incorporate the readings from the week (as applicable) into your responses.

Weekly Participation

• Your initial responses to the mandatory DQ do not count toward participation and are graded separately.
• In addition to the DQ responses, you must post at least one reply to peers (or me) on three separate days, for a total of three replies.
• Participation posts do not require a scholarly source/citation (unless you cite someone else’s work).
• Part of your weekly participation includes viewing the weekly announcement and attesting to watching it in the comments. These announcements are made to ensure you understand everything that is due during the week.

APA Format and Writing Quality

• Familiarize yourself with APA format and practice using it correctly. It is used for most writing assignments for your degree. Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for APA paper templates, citation examples, tips, etc. Points will be deducted for poor use of APA format or absence of APA format (if required).
• Cite all sources of information! When in doubt, cite the source. Paraphrasing also requires a citation.
• I highly recommend using the APA Publication Manual, 6th edition.

Use of Direct Quotes

• I discourage overutilization of direct quotes in DQs and assignments at the Masters’s level and deduct points accordingly.
• As Masters’s level students, it is important that you be able to critically analyze and interpret information from journal articles and other resources. Simply restating someone else’s words does not demonstrate an understanding of the content or critical analysis of the content.
• It is best to paraphrase content and cite your source.

LopesWrite Policy

• For assignments that need to be submitted to LopesWrite, please be sure you have received your report and Similarity Index (SI) percentage BEFORE you do a “final submit” to me.
• Once you have received your report, please review it. This report will show you grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors that can easily be fixed. Take the extra few minutes to review instead of getting counted off for these mistakes.
• Review your similarities. Did you forget to cite something? Did you not paraphrase well enough? Is your paper made up of someone else’s thoughts more than your own?
• Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for tips on improving your paper and SI score.

Late Policy

• The university’s policy on late assignments is 10% penalty PER DAY LATE. This also applies to late DQ replies.
• Please communicate with me if you anticipate having to submit an assignment late. I am happy to be flexible, with advance notice. We may be able to work out an extension based on extenuating circumstances.
• If you do not communicate with me before submitting an assignment late, the GCU late policy will be in effect.
• I do not accept assignments that are two or more weeks late unless we have worked out an extension.
• As per policy, no assignments are accepted after the last day of class. Any assignment submitted after midnight on the last day of class will not be accepted for grading.

Communication

• Communication is so very important. There are multiple ways to communicate with me: 
  • Questions to Instructor Forum: This is a great place to ask course content or assignment questions. If you have a question, there is a good chance one of your peers does as well. This is a public forum for the class.
  • Individual Forum: This is a private forum to ask me questions or send me messages. This will be checked at least once every 24 hours.

Name:  Discussion Rubric

Name:  Discussion Rubric