Part 1: Training Sniffy the Virtual Rat Magazine Training & Shaping

This week I trained a Sniffy the Virtual Rat before I began training my real rat, Ratna. This computer program I used simulates an operant box environment, much like the one I will use with Ratna. The operant box, shown in the picture below, has a food hopper, a bar that will release pellets of food when pressed, a water spout, a speaker, and a signal light.  It allowed me to train a Sniffy with variable behaviors via operant conditioning. Overall, this program allowed me to feel comfortable with the steps taken to train my own rat. Before completing this assignment, I was not fully aware how to exactly begin magazine training, shaping, or other reinforcement techniques. However after working with Sniffy on these various training measures, I am more confident how to exactly train Ratna. I do realize that Ratna will not behavior/ learn in a similar way as Sniffy, but I have a better understanding on how to get better results when I start training Ratna.

Sniffy in Operant Box

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Goal #1: Magazine train Sniffy so he improves his association between the bar sound of the food pellet falling into the hopper and the reinforcement, the food.

Procedure: The duration to magazine train Sniffy was approximately 15-20 minutes. I thought magazine training would take a long time to do but it was easy, quick, and straightforward. First, I let Sniffy walk around the cage to get used to the environment. I offered Sniffy reinforcements, in this case the pellets of food, when Sniffy approached anywhere close to the hopper. I increased the rate of reinforcement the closer Sniffy got to the hopper.

Results/ Discussion: As repeated reinforcements were given to Sniffy, there was increase in the association between the sound of the bar and receiving pellets. The software had a bar graph, which allowed me to see how and when to deliver reinforcements in a timely manner. The last 5-10 minutes Sniffy barely moved to other quadrants of the operant box, but he remained close to the hopper. Figure 1 below shows the cumulative recorder for magazine training, and the bar graph for magazine is also shown. 

Figure 1: Cumulative Recorder for Magazine Training (dash lines on the top of the graph denote reinforcements controlled by me, the operator. Each divided section of the graph signifies five-minute intervals. CRF Press Bar directs the start of Sniffy’s shaping.)

                                          

  

                                                 

                                                  Bar graph of Sniffy’s Magazine Training.

Goal #2: Shaping Sniffy to press the bar on his own by using reinforcement. Shaping is achieved by reinforcing successive approximations of Sniffy’s bar pressing behavior.

Procedure: The duration it took to shape Sniffy to bar press was approximately 1 hour.
I began shaping by rewarding any  behaviors performed near the back of the cage. I placed Sniffy on variable ratio reinforcement, meaning I gave him a reinforcer after a specified number of correct responses. I reinforced Sniffy more specifically every time he either got close to the hopper,reared up on the back wall, or passed the front of it. After shaping Sniffy for 3-5 minutes, he began to press the bar on his own. I tracked Sniffy's progress for his association between bar pressing and the reinforcement. I continued for 20 minutes on an FR1 (fixed-ratio one) schedule of Sniffy rearing up and pressing the bar at least once. Slowly, I began reinforcing Sniffy until he began pushing the bar more times in a consecutive fashion (2 times in a row, 3 times in a row, etc). I also gave Sniffy reinforcements when he wandered off from the hopper because shaping could continue to progress when he returned to the location. Soon Sniffy was pressing the bar about 25-30 times per a five-minute period. I let the program run for the last 25- 30 minutes without me reinforcing him, so Sniffy could reinforce his own behavior. 

Results/ Discussion: Shaping Sniffy was definitely more difficult because it requires more time and accurate timing when reinforcements are given. I had to reinforce carefully because I did not want him to be fixated on a particular behavior beside pressing the lever. Once Sniffy realized he had to stay close by the hopper, shaping him progressed much faster. He soon learned to rear up in order to receive a pellet and figured out how to press the lever in order to get food. Overall, shaping has showed me that one can get higher, steady response rates. By using fixed ratio reinforcement, rewards were provided after an unpredictable number of responses with only brief pauses in behavior after reinforcement.  As one can see in the bar graph below, Sniffy associated reinforcement with the bar sound at a max strength. Figure 2 below shows the cumulative recorder for shaping. This part of the cumulative recorder data was taken toward the end of shaping where acquisition of the bar pressing behavior had a high strength, Sniffy pressing the bar 20+ times in a 5 minute period.  

                        

Bar graph depicting Sniffy’s bar press for shaping.

    Figure 2: Cumulative Recorder for Shaping (dash lines on the top of the graph denote reinforcements controlled by me, the operator. The sloped lines with dashes represent when Sniffy presses the bar-presses).