PSYC 320 is Liberty's undergraduate course in behavior modification. Its centerpiece is a four-part Behavior Modification Project in which you change a real target behavior: a 5-page research paper, a baseline phase report with a graph, a treatment phase report with an annotated graph, and a 7-slide PowerPoint, plus six forums.
Liberty's catalog lists the course as PSYC 320 Behavior Modification, 3 credit hours; Canvas and the course guide file print it as PSYC320.
What PSYC 320 covers
The catalog description: This course introduces students to the application, implementation, measurement, and evaluation of behavior management techniques in various settings including hospitals, institutions, and schools.
The course covers the principles and procedures of behavior modification: observing and recording behavior, graphing, reinforcement, extinction, punishment, stimulus control, respondent conditioning, shaping, prompting, chaining and behavioral skills training. The text is Miltenberger, Behavior Modification: Principles and Procedures, in a Liberty custom edition.
Three exams (300 points) have no guide here. Each week after Week 1 runs Tuesday to Monday, and the final week ends Friday.
Textbook named in the published guide: LUC: Miltenberger, Behavior Modification: Principles & Procedures (2015). Check the current edition in your Canvas section.
PSYC 320 assignments, week by week
Every graded written assignment in the published guide has its own how-to guide below. Quizzes, exams, checklists and class introductions are left out because there is nothing to write.
| Week | Assignment | Points | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Discussion Board Forum 1 | 30 | Thread 300 to 500 words; replies 100 to 150 words |
| 2 | Discussion Board Forum 2 | 30 | Thread 300 to 500 words; replies 100 to 150 words |
| 3 | BMP: Research Paper | 150 | 5-page body, plus title page, abstract and references |
| 4 | Discussion Board Forum 3 | 30 | Thread 300 to 500 words; replies 100 to 150 words |
| 4 | BMP: Baseline Phase Report | 125 | Not set in the guide; a graph, description and narrative |
| 5 | Discussion Board Forum 4 | 30 | Thread 300 to 500 words; replies 100 to 150 words |
| 6 | Discussion Board Forum 5 | 30 | Thread 300 to 500 words; replies 100 to 150 words |
| 6 | BMP: Treatment Phase Report | 125 | Not set in the guide; a description, narrative and graph |
| 7 | BMP: PowerPoint | 120 | 7 slides |
| 8 | Discussion Board Forum 6 | 30 | Thread 300 to 500 words; replies 100 to 150 words |
Week 1: Discussion Board Forum 1
A 300 to 500-word thread and two 100 to 150-word replies, each citing the Bible, the textbook and a peer-reviewed article. How to write PSYC 320 Week 1 Discussion Board Forum 1.
Week 2: Discussion Board Forum 2
A 300 to 500-word thread and two 100 to 150-word replies, each citing the Bible, the textbook and a peer-reviewed article. How to write PSYC 320 Week 2 Discussion Board Forum 2.
Week 3: BMP: Research Paper
A 5-page APA research paper on your target behavior and the treatment you will use, with the textbook and 4 peer-reviewed articles. How to write PSYC 320 Week 3 BMP: Research Paper.
Week 4: Discussion Board Forum 3
A 300 to 500-word thread and two 100 to 150-word replies, each citing the Bible, the textbook and a peer-reviewed article. How to write PSYC 320 Week 4 Discussion Board Forum 3.
Week 4: BMP: Baseline Phase Report
A Word report with a graph, description and narrative of your baseline observations of the target behavior. How to write PSYC 320 Week 4 BMP: Baseline Phase Report.
Week 5: Discussion Board Forum 4
A 300 to 500-word thread and two 100 to 150-word replies, each citing the Bible, the textbook and a peer-reviewed article. How to write PSYC 320 Week 5 Discussion Board Forum 4.
Week 6: Discussion Board Forum 5
A 300 to 500-word thread and two 100 to 150-word replies, each citing the Bible, the textbook and a peer-reviewed article. How to write PSYC 320 Week 6 Discussion Board Forum 5.
Week 6: BMP: Treatment Phase Report
A report describing your treatment, narrating the process and graphing baseline and treatment phases with proper annotation. How to write PSYC 320 Week 6 BMP: Treatment Phase Report.
Week 7: BMP: PowerPoint
A 7-slide PowerPoint presenting your Behavior Modification Project, with responses to 2 classmates' presentations. How to write PSYC 320 Week 7 BMP: PowerPoint.
Week 8: Discussion Board Forum 6
A 300 to 500-word thread and two 100 to 150-word replies, each citing the Bible, the textbook and a peer-reviewed article. How to write PSYC 320 Week 8 Discussion Board Forum 6.
How PSYC 320 is graded
The published guide totals 1,010 points. The six forums are 30 each (180), the project research paper 150, the baseline report 125, the treatment report 125, the PowerPoint 120, exams 300 and the checklist 10.
| Graded item | Points |
|---|---|
| Discussion Board Forums (6) | 180 |
| BMP Research Paper | 150 |
| BMP Baseline Phase Report | 125 |
| BMP Treatment Phase Report | 125 |
| BMP PowerPoint | 120 |
| Exams (3) | 300 |
| Course Requirements Checklist | 10 |
The published scale puts an A at 900 to 1010 points.
Week timing in the published guide: Each course week (except Module/Week 1) begins on Tuesday morning at 12:00 a.m. (ET) and ends on Monday night at 11:59 p.m. (ET). The final week ends at 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Friday.
How to approach PSYC 320
Choose a target behavior you can observe and measure daily, such as minutes of exercise, cups of soda or study time, and define it precisely by Week 3; baseline data must be collected before the Week 4 report.
Record data every day in a simple log, since every later report and graph depends on it.
Questions students ask
What is the PSYC 320 Behavior Modification Project?
A four-part project changing a measurable target behavior: a 5-page research paper on the behavior and the treatment (Week 3), a baseline phase report with a graph (Week 4), a treatment phase report with a graph showing both phases (Week 6), and a 7-slide PowerPoint with replies to 2 classmates (Week 7).
What sources do PSYC 320 forums need?
The Bible, the textbook and at least 1 peer-reviewed article, cited in APA in the thread and responses, with a references section.
Working through PSYC 320 now?
Tell us the week and the assignment. A tutor who knows the course replies with a plan for the draft.