This guide is for PSYC 320 Week 3 BMP: Research Paper, start to submission. A 5-page APA research paper on your target behavior and the treatment you will use, with the textbook and 4 peer-reviewed articles.
PSYC 320 is Behavior Modification, 3 credit hours, in Liberty University's BS in Psychology. Canvas and the course guide file print the code as PSYC320; it is the same course.
| Course | PSYC 320 Behavior Modification |
|---|---|
| Module/Week | 3 |
| Points | 150 points |
| Length | 5-page body, plus title page, abstract and references |
| Sources | The textbook and at least 4 additional peer-reviewed journal articles |
| Faith integration | Not required by the guide |
| Format | Current APA with title page, abstract and references |
What PSYC 320 Week 3 BMP: Research Paper asks for
You write a 5-page APA research paper that supports your Behavior Modification Project, with a title page, abstract, 5-page body and references page. The body includes an introduction, a section of research on the target behavior, a section of research on the treatment you will use, and a conclusion, citing the textbook and at least 4 additional peer-reviewed journal articles. It is due in Module/Week 3 with Miltenberger chapters 5 and 6. Worth 150 points.
Where it fits in PSYC 320
In the published schedule, BMP: Research Paper is one of 10 graded written assignments in PSYC 320. It follows Week 2 Discussion Board Forum 2 and comes before Week 4 Discussion Board Forum 3.
How PSYC 320 Week 3 BMP: Research Paper is graded
Liberty grades BMP: Research Paper with the rubric attached to the assignment in Canvas, worth 150 points in the published guide. That is about 15% of the course's 1,010 points. The rubric rows are the real instructions. Draft against them, and you will rarely be surprised by the grade.
Course grades in PSYC 320 use Liberty's point scale: an A is 900 to 1010 points of the course total. Missing the length or source minimum usually costs points on several rows at once, which is why the checklist below starts with them.
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. Check the due dates in your Canvas section, which govern.
The PSYC 320 Week 3 method, step by step
Turn the instructions into an outline
Paste the BMP: Research Paper instructions and rubric into a document and turn every required element into a heading. In PSYC 320 the rubric is the grading contract, so the outline should mirror it before you write a sentence.
Narrow the topic until it fits the length
5-page body, plus title page, abstract and references is not much room. Choose a question narrow enough that you can answer it fully inside that length; a broad topic forces summary, and summary scores lower than analysis.
Collect sources before drafting
Build the source list before the draft (The textbook and at least 4 additional peer-reviewed journal articles). A short evidence table (who, when, what they found, which section it serves) prevents the late scramble for citations that weakens most papers.
Write a thesis that the sections prove
Write one sentence that states what the paper argues. Every section after the introduction should advance that sentence; if a paragraph does not, it belongs in another paper.
Draft section by section, analysis first
Write each section to answer its rubric row, then add the analysis: what the evidence means, where sources disagree, and what follows for practice. Description supports the analysis; it cannot replace it.
Format and check against the rubric
Finish with an APA pass and a rubric pass. Match every in-text citation to a reference, check the headings, and read each rubric row against the section that answers it.
Define the behavior operationally in the introduction, review research on why the behavior matters and what maintains it, then review evidence for the chosen treatment, ending with how you will apply it.
A structure for PSYC 320 Week 3 BMP: Research Paper
Word targets are planning numbers for about 1,400 words of body text, set by the length in the guide; the rubric decides where to spend more.
| Section | What it must do | Target |
|---|---|---|
| Introduction | The target behavior and goal. | ~200 words |
| Research on the target behavior | What is known about it. | ~450 words |
| Research on the treatment | Evidence for the procedure. | ~530 words |
| Conclusion and APA | Plan summary and format. | ~220 words |
A topic angle that works
Pick a target behavior to increase or decrease and a treatment procedure from the course, such as positive reinforcement, a token system, self-monitoring or stimulus control, and find studies showing the procedure has worked for similar behaviors.
Model paragraph with notes
An original paragraph written by our desk to show the register that earns full rubric credit. It is study material: learn the moves, then write your own.
Self-monitoring combined with goal setting has increased physical activity in several studies. In one trial, adults who recorded daily steps and set weekly goals increased their activity substantially compared with a control group. Miltenberger describes self-monitoring as both a measurement method and an intervention, since recording a behavior often changes it.
- A procedure.
- Evidence.
- Textbook link.
Mistakes that cost points on PSYC 320 Week 3
- A vague target behavior.
- Fewer than 4 peer-reviewed articles.
- No treatment research.
Checklist before you submit
- Length: 5-page body, plus title page, abstract and references
- Sources: The textbook and at least 4 additional peer-reviewed journal articles
- Title page and reference page in current APA format
- Headings follow the order of the instructions
- Each rubric row read against the section that answers it
Questions students ask
How long is the PSYC 320 project research paper?
A 5-page body, plus title page, abstract and references.
How many points is PSYC 320 Week 3 BMP: Research Paper worth?
150 points in Liberty's published course guide for PSYC 320, out of a course total of 1,010 points (about 15% of the grade). The rubric attached to the assignment in Canvas shows how those points are divided.
Is PSYC 320 Week 3 the same in every section of PSYC 320?
This guide follows Liberty's published course guide for PSYC 320. Liberty notes that course content can change from term to term, so if your Canvas section shows different instructions, a different week or different points, follow Canvas and your instructor.
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