Sniffy the Virtual Rat Psych 210 Winter Lab Assignment

Today: 1)The Experiment 2)Operant Conditioning 3)The 5 Reinforcement Schedules we’ll use 4)Steps to completing the assignment 5)Grade Determination

The Experiment  Train Sniffy using Operant Conditioning  using campus computer program  Using 5 different Reinforcement Schedules  Analyze results to determine how choice of reinforcement schedule affects extinction  Ultimately asking: How do different schedules of reinforcement affect the persistence of a learned behavior?

Operant Conditioning  Increases the rate of a desired behavior by reinforcing that behavior when it occurs  In our case, we want Sniffy to bar-press  We will reinforce with food pellets  See Chapter 5 (B.F. Skinner) in your textbook

Operant Vs. Classical Conditioning Operant (Type R):  Emphasis is on the Response  Use reward to increase a response Classical (Type S):  Emphasis is on the Stimulus  Get a stimulus to elicit a response not normally paired with it

Schedules of Reinforcement- 2 Main Types: Continuous Reinforcement (CRF):  Rewarded every time the desired behavior occurs  Every time Sniffy presses the bar, he will get a food pellet Partial Reinforcement (PRF):  Rewarded some times when behavior occurs; not every time  e.g. Sniffy might press the bar 5 times and only get rewarded once.

PRF Schedules- Types: Fixed:  Reward happens after a set number of responses  “Fixed Ratio” OR  after a set amount of time passes  “Fixed Interval” Variable:  Reward happens around a certain average number of responses  “Variable Ratio” OR  after an average amount of time passes  “Variable Interval”

Fixed Ratio (FR):  Set a specific number of responses required for reward, e.g. 5  Sniffy will then get a food pellet after he presses the bar 5 times  Real Life Example: Salesperson having to reach a quota to get payment

Fixed Interval (FI):  Set a certain number of seconds to pass before reward is given, e.g. 10 seconds  Sniffy will be rewarded on his first bar-press after 10 seconds passes  Real Life Example: Employees getting a Christmas Bonus each year for hard work

Variable Ratio (VR):  Set an average number of responses needed for reward, e.g. 5  Sniffy will get rewarded for about 5 bar-presses- maybe after 4, maybe after 7, etc. It fluctuates around a certain number.  Real Life Example: VLT machines rewarding randomly

Variable Interval (VI):  Set a number of seconds that will need to pass, on average, before reward, e.g. 15 seconds  Sniffy will be rewarded when he responds after about 15 seconds- maybe after 12 seconds, 14, 18, etc.  Real Life Example: Pop quizzes in class that happen about every month or so

The Computer Program:  My Computer  “Apps on Caesar (S: )”  “Sniffy” Folder  Double-click “Sniffy” Icon

Completing the Assignment:  Step 1) Observe Sniffy’s behaviors  Step 2) Magazine Train Sniffy  Step 3) Train on CRF schedule  Step 4) Extinguish behavior  Step 5) Observe Spontaneous Recovery and Extinguish  Step 6) Train on FR schedule and Extinguish  Step 7) Train on FI schedule and Extinguish  Step 8) Train on VR schedule and Extinguish  Step 9) Train on VI schedule and Extinguish

Saving your Progress:  Saving properly is IMPORTANT for this lab!  THINK about what and how you are Saving each time  Always save to your H: Drive  Manual tells you when to Save and when to Print  As you are progressing through one step, save over the same file. So, throughout CRF training, keep saving as “CRF”. Once done, do NOT overwrite again.

Saving your Progress:  You should save and print these files as you go:  “CRF” (documents Steps 1-3) –DO NOT SAVE OVER THIS FILE ONCE DONE THE ORIGINAL TRAINING!  “CRFext” (documents Steps 1-5) –*Print this*  “FR” (documents Step 6 –Training)  “FRext” (documents Steps 6- Training and Extinction) –*Print this*  “FI”, and then “FIext” (Step 7) -*Print this*  “VR”, and then “VRext” (Step 8) - *Print this*  “VI” and then “VIext” (Step 9) -*Print this*

You Submit:  Assignment is due the week of April 2 nd  As you go through the Steps, your manual instructs you to record certain observations  You will use these, and Ch. 5, to answer the questions attached at end of manual  Submit these answers, typed and in APA format  Also, submit the Records you have Printed out as an Appendix *See directions on this in Manual*

Grade Determination: Questions: 5.5% Printed Records: 2% Participation: 5% Total: 12.5%

Passing in the Lab: There will be lab every week up until:  Mar. 26 th - 30 th : NO LABS  Work independently if you need to catch up  Apr. 2 nd -6 th : NO LABS  Pass in the assignment to the Annex  My office 114F, or the Drop Box in Main Hallway

Starting Today:  Read through your manual  Start on steps 1 and 2  Observe Sniffy’s behavior and get him Magazine Trained  Before you leave, save your work as ‘CRF’  Use the drop-down arrow in the “Save” window to save to your H: drive