Extra Training Days( Training Sessions 16 &17)

Goal: Continue to shape Ratna until she develops an observable strong association between pressing the bar in the Operant Box and the delivery of the chocolate food pellet reinforcement from the magazine.

Procedure: Shaping training sessions were held from 4-4:30 pm every day. The dates, Ratna’s weight for training on that day, reinforcements given, and bar presses Ratna performed are all shown in Table 1 below. Note: Ratna’s target weight is 199 grams. I continued to only reinforce Ratna when she reared, looked at the light, and came down on the bar with both paws. She had to perform this behavior of motion 3-5 times in order to get a reinforcement. I wanted to perform some extra days of training to see how far Ratna would progress.

                    Table 1: Ratna’s Data for Shaping Days 15-16 (Training Session 16-17)

Date	Time	Schedule/ Day	Runtime (minutes)	Ratna’s Weight (g)	Reinforcements	Bar Presses
3/14	4-4:30 PM	Shaping Day 15	29.40	199	20	15
3/15	4-4:30 PM	Shaping Day 16	29.67	199.8	28	12

Results/Discussion: As one can see in the data presented in table 1 above, Ratna declined from shaping day 14, where she pressed the bar 28 times. Ratna did seem more hyperactive on 3/14 and 3/15. She was trying to climb on all the corners of the Operant Box. Furthermore, she spent a lot more time sniffing around and grooming herself. I was very disappointed that Ratna did not progress. After talking with Dr. Trench, I decided to not perform extinction because Ratna was not fully shaped. If Ratna had pressed the bar about 60 times, I could have moved on to a fixed ratio schedule. I was very frustrated because Ratna did not perform well, but I kept in mind that just like humans, rats learn at different rates and have different talents. 3/15 was my last day training with Ratna. It was bittersweet. Since it was my last day of training, I no longer had to food deprive her, so I placed Ratna back on the free feed schedule. Below is a picture of Ratna eating her chow after our last day of training. 

Last day with Ratna (3/15/16).