PSY/420 Theories of Behavior sample papers, week by week

Reviewed by Queenie Halstead, MA · Theories of Behavior · University of Phoenix · Free custom samples in 24–48h

PSY/420 introduces learning principles and applied behavior analysis. Five weekly samples cover the history of behaviorism, respondent and operant conditioning, reinforcement schedules and punishment, functional assessment and social learning with behavior change programs.

Send the exact assignment or rubric from your classroom and a custom sample written to it lands in 24 to 48 hours, the first one free. PSY/420 is Phoenix’s Theories of Behavior course. It introduces principles of learning and behavior analysis and their relation to psychology, covering conditioning, social learning, the philosophical and historical antecedents of behaviorism and environmental influences on behavior, including antecedent-consequence links and the functions of behavior. Searches like "psy/420 week 3 assignment example", "PSY420 sample paper", and "PSY 420 week samples" land on this page.

What PSY/420 is really about

Behavior analysis asks what in the environment maintains a behavior. PSY/420 covers the work of Pavlov, Watson, Thorndike and Skinner, the ABC model, reinforcement schedules, functional behavior assessment and ethical behavior change, along with Bandura's social learning.

Students typically analyze a behavior with the ABC model, design a reinforcement plan, identify the function of a problem behavior from a case and evaluate ethical issues in behavior modification. Cases include a child refusing homework, an adult trying to stop smoking and a classroom with frequent disruptions.

What PSY/420’s assessments ask for

Faculty expect precise terms, correct identification of reinforcers and functions and plans with measurable target behaviors and data collection. Ethics should be addressed, especially with vulnerable people. Plans should define the target behavior, baseline, intervention, reinforcement schedule and how data will be graphed.

Where students lose points in PSY/420

Points slip when punishment and negative reinforcement are confused, when target behaviors are vague or when plans skip measurement. Ignoring the function of behavior also costs marks. Graphs without labeled axes or phases are another frequent deduction, as are plans that reinforce the wrong behavior by accident, such as attention after outbursts.

The PSY/420 drawers

Wk 1

PSY/420 Wk 1 assignment example

Wk 1 usually introduces behaviorism's history and philosophy. Full sample paper, annotated: History and Philosophy of Behaviorism.

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Wk 2

PSY/420 Wk 2 assignment example

Wk 2 typically examines respondent and operant conditioning. Full sample paper, annotated: Respondent and Operant Conditioning.

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Wk 3

PSY/420 Wk 3 assignment example

Wk 3 often covers reinforcement schedules and punishment. Full sample paper, annotated: Reinforcement Schedules and Punishment.

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Wk 4

PSY/420 Wk 4 assignment example

Wk 4 commonly addresses functional assessment and the ABC model. Full sample paper, annotated: Functional Assessment and the ABC Model.

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Wk 5

PSY/420 Wk 5 assignment example

Wk 5 closes with social learning and behavior change programs. Full sample paper, annotated: Social Learning and Behavior Change Programs.

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Using a PSY/420 sample the right way

Start from the week on assessment or reinforcement to see an ABC analysis become a measurable plan.

How these samples are written

Method, in one line: instructions first, structure from the rubric, artifacts exact. Week counts vary by course model; the catch-all row absorbs the difference. Your free request matches what your classroom actually shows.

PSY/420 questions, answered

What is the ABC model?

Antecedent, behavior and consequence, a framework for analyzing what triggers and maintains a behavior.

What is a variable ratio schedule?

Reinforcement after an unpredictable number of responses, which produces high, steady rates of behavior.

What is a functional behavior assessment?

A process for identifying the purpose a behavior serves so an intervention can address it.