Psychology, Grades 9-12

Life Span Development Unit

Lesson: The Behavioral Perspective
Objectives:
1. Student can define the major characteristics of the Behavioral Perspective.
2. Student can identify the theorists that most notably represent this perspective (this includes B.F.
Skinner, John Watson, and Albert Bandura).
3. Student can explain the difference between Classical and Operant conditioning.
4. Student can explain Social-cognitive Learning theory.
5. Student can apply each of these theories to real world examples.
6. Student can use their knowledge of these theories to assess what is and is not still relevant to the
field of Psychology.
Overarching Essential Question (student should be able to address this after completing the
entire unit):
Why is it important to understand the major theoretical frameworks of life span development; how can this
understanding shape each students views on development?
Essential Question:
What characteristics define the Behavioral Perspective? Who were the major theorists within this
perspective?
Focus Question:
What are operant conditioning, classical conditioning, and social learning theory? How do they relate to
each other?
Learning Methodology:
1. Students will view HaikuDeck presentation in order to gain a basic knowledge of the theory, and its
components.
2. As a class, we will go over the three major theories within the Behavioral perspective, with teacher
reinforcement to ensure complete understanding.
3. In groups, students will discuss the similarities and differences between the three major learning
theories. Students will discuss possible applications of each of these learning theories. The teacher
will visit each group for a minimum of 5 minutes to ensure proper understanding.
Assessments:
1. After each unit, students will be asked to respond to a simple poll indicating whether or not they
feel they have a good grasp of the material. The poll is not graded, rather used as a gauge to see
how effective each unit is.
2. In groups, students will design a theoretical research project that illustrates one of the major
learning theories. They will create a presentation poster that illustrates their project. This should
include all of the major components of a research study (learned in a previous unit) and should
clearly reflect their chosen learning theory