RESEARCH PAPER: FINAL SUBMISSION ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS OVERVIEW Now that you h

RESEARCH PAPER: FINAL SUBMISSION ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS
OVERVIEW
Now that you have thoroughly investigated and gathered research through the previous two
assignments, you are ready to write a research paper addressing Classical and Instrumental
(Operant) Conditioning Theories. This culminating assignment will provide a research
foundation for your work in the field as a professional. Understanding foundational theories of
learning is imperative to providing the best opportunities for learning in various settings.
Completion of this assignment will improve research and communication skills while increasing
your knowledge of these theories.
INSTRUCTIONS
Create a formal, current APA formatted paper using the following specifications and outline.
● Body of the paper should be a minimum of 8 pages (this does not include the title page or
reference page)
● Current APA style is required.
● Minimum of 10 scholarly peer reviewed journal articles addressing Classical and/or
Instrumental (Operant) Conditioning, published within the most recent 5 years, as well as
the textbook, and the Bible, must be included in both in-text citations and the reference
page.
● Websites are not acceptable sources.
● Do not include direct quotes. Instead, paraphrase information from the scholarly sources
(using in-text citations) in order to demonstrate your mastery of each concept.
● Do not use first person. Write in a formal college-level essay style.
● Current APA Level 1 sub-headings must be used throughout the paper. The 6 main
sections of the paper will address the following topics:
1. Historical Development of Each Theory—For each theory, discuss prominent persons
and their corresponding historic contributions. Include how each theory developed over
time.
2. Key Concepts of Each Theory—This section will focus on the major points of each
theory. How is new information acquired? What are the goals of learning? What is
unique about each theory?
3. Compare and Contrast Research Findings for Instrumental (Operant) Conditioning—This
section will compare and contrast findings from the 10 peer-reviewed scholarly research
articles. Do not copy your work from the annotated bibliography. Instead, integrate your
findings as you compare and contrast research from the textbook and scholarly journal
articles.
4. Learning Implications—This section will discuss the implications for how learning takes
place in the classroom. How does Instrumental (Operant) Conditioning work to increase
learning? How might a teacher encourage learning using concepts of motivational
mechanisms and stimulus control?