8.10.16

Sniffy: The Virtual Rat



I had a relatively difficult time with magazine training Sniffy. I reinforced Sniffy with a treat every time he got near the lever. This process took about an hour and a half. Once Sniffy began to remain in the general area of the lever, I began the process of shaping. I reinforced Sniffy every time he stood up and descended down onto the lever. That was the motion I wanted Sniffy to learn because I thought he would press the lever when he was lowering himself. I also reinforced Sniffy every time he showed an interest in the lever, including sniffing and even touching it. It was really important to pay close attention to Sniffy because I had to reinforce him immediately in order for him to make the association between pressing the lever and receiving a treat. I probably spent a total of two hours magazine training and shaping Sniffy. 

Once Sniffy was consistently pressing the lever, I placed her on a variable ratio (VR) schedule. On this schedule, Sniffy walked around the operant box less than when he was shaping. Sniffy was constantly pressing the lever as opposed to getting near the lever and aimlessly wandering around. I can definitely see how this program will prepare me to train my real rat through magazine training and shaping.

VR 1 & 2 Cumulative Record
VR 3 & 4 Cumulative Record
VR 5 & 6 Cumulative Record                                                                 
VR 6 & Extinction Cumulative Record                        
SaveSave

No comments:

Post a Comment