Unit 2 Assignment Sequence

The Social Sciences: Testing Hypotheses

In unit 2 you will be using the research methods of behavioral psychology to perform a case study with yourself as the subject. After building a breadth of knowledge about behavioral psychology, for Feeder 2 you will design a behavior modification experiment. After performing this experiment on yourself over spring break, you will shape your findings into a series of podcasts that track your progress and assess your original hypothesis.

Feeder 1

For your Feeder 1 assignment you will begin to shift the focus of your blog from the natural sciences to the social sciences. Go to Davis Library and scan some recent issues of the journal Behavior Modification (call number: BF637.B4 B43; also available online here). Find an article that interests you and write a post (length: equivalent to 2-3 typed pages) summarizing the article for your blog's audience. It is up to you how much background information you include about the article's subject or behavioral psychology in general. However, I encourage you to examine the author's references (listed at the end of the article) and give some contextual information about the debate or controversy into which the author is entering.

Feeder 2

For Feeder 2.2 and your Unit 2 project you will design and implement a behavior modification experiment with yourself as the subject. Using the articles you read in Behavior Modification and our other class readings as a model (though I encourage you to adapt this model to the needs and expectation of your blog's audience), compose a 4-6 minute podcast outlining your study.

First, you will identify a regular aspect of your behavior that you wish to modify. You should choose an aspect of your behavior that recurs several times daily, giving you ample data to compile and reflect upon each day. Also, remember that you will be conducting this experiment over spring break, so a school-related goal such as getting to class on time will not be appropriate. Good examples of behaviors to modify might be trying to address people by name, trying to curse less, or trying to wash your hands more often.

Next you will design an experiment in which you will attempt to modify this behavior. In addition to deciding on specific goals for the period of your study, you must design a system of rewards for positive change in your behavior and punishments for persistent bad behavior. You are free to design your experiment however you wish, but your experiment must span at least six days and you must fill out some type of form in which you record and reflect upon your behavior during each of the 6+ days. Please submit this form to me via email for my approval before spring break begins. Students who do not submit a form before conducting their study will be penalized.

After you have worked out the details of your experiment, compile your ideas into a script for a podcast, including a section that introduces the topic of your study and your specific hypothesis as well as a section outlining the research methods you will use in your experiment. Optionally, you might also include other sections that are pertinent to your topic, such as a section in which you review the recent literature on your topic.

A successful podcast will (in order of importance):

1. Contain a clear, original and interesting hypothesis.

2. Outline, in detail, an experiment that will test that hypothesis while accounting for confounding variables and other potential pitfalls of scientific study.

3. Outline a system of meaningful rewards and punishments that reinforce the desired behavior.

4. Be organized in an engaging, easy-to-understand way.

5. Be delivered in a clear speaking manner that is appropriate to the blog's target audience.

Unit Project

After you have completed your experiment, use the information you gathered to compose a follow-up podcast (length: 3-5 minutes). You should give a detailed description and analysis of your behavior during the experiment, as well as a substantial section in which you evaluate the results of your experiment. If your hypothesis was proven false, you should reformulate it based on the results of your experiment.

A successful podcast will:

1. Honestly assess the strengths and weaknesses of the study as outlined in Feeder 2.2.

2. Offer a thoughtful and compelling analysis of the data gathered during the experiment.

3. Offer a sophisticated reevaluation of the original hypothesis based on the results of the experiment.

4. Be organized in an engaging, easy-to-understand way.

5. Be delivered in a clear speaking manner that is appropriate to the blog's target audience.