SNIFFY

SNIFFY THE VIRTUAL RAT EXPERIMENT

Abstract

The purpose of this experiment was to test whether training a simulated rat under a Partial Reinforcement Schedule took longer to extinguish than being trained in a Continuous Reinforcement Schedule. The subject involved was a computer based rat. The rat was trained in a Skinner box to bar press under each a continuous reinforcement schedule and a partial reinforcement schedule. Extinction of both schedules was done and times were reported. The hypothesis was that a rat under a partial reinforcement schedule would take longer to extinguish its behavior rather than the continuous reinforcement schedule extinction. Results were analyzed under the complications of the conditioning of the animal under these schedules.

Sniffy the virtual RAT experiment

Introduction

Studying the behaviors of animals has been a great importance to many psychologists. By studying animal behaviors, researchers can determine what influences them, whether it is their surrounding environment, reinforcements or stimuli. A very famous psychologist, Burghs Frederic Skinner enjoyed studying animal behaviors. Skinner believed that any response that is followed by a reinforcing stimulus tends to be repeated. He also says that to modify a behavior, one merely has to find something that is reinforcing for the animal whose behaviors one wishes to modify. Skinner explains this in his Skinner box studies. A Skinner box refers to an experimental test chamber that consists of a grid floor, lever, light and food cup. (Collin, 2009)

Mainly used to study operant conditioning, which refers to increasing the rate at which a response occurs (Hergenhahn and Olson, 2005). These studies involve rats and observing the rat in the Skinner box. The rat receives food pellets through the feeder which is accompanied by a clicking noise. Skinner magazine trained the rat which involves training the animal to approach the food cup when it hears the clicking noise and/or seeing the food come out of the food cup. This noise is then associated with the food. After several trials of this, the rat left to bar press by itself and when the rat does bar press, this response is reinforced with food which tends to be repeated. The more times this occurs, the higher the probability the response will occur again. (Floyd, 2008)

To shape an animal, the experimenter reinforced rats' behavior when it's close to the feeder and therefore the rat tends to stay close to the feeder because of being reinforced. Shaping occurs when the rat bar presses on its own. This is done by successive approximation which is the response the rat makes is very similar to the response the experimenter wants to reinforce. These trials occur through acquisition trials. This is the process of gaining new information from one's observations. (Jukabow, 2007)

This rat is under a continuous reinforcement schedule which where the rat is reinforced every time it makes an appropriate behavior (bar pressing on its own). Partial reinforcement schedule is where the rat only gets reinforced sometimes when it bar presses, and unlike the continuous reinforcement which is all the ...