Time: 21.05
Delivered: 65
Presses: 0
Program: 03
Notes:
Rat was very active and curious. Magazine training lasted only the first half of time, then we immediately moved to shaping. Originally we reinforced Rat when she was in the corner with the lever, but by the end of time we were only reinforcing her when she had two paws on the bar. By delivering a pellet when she was rearing over the bar, we were able to have her get accustom to being above the bar. Eventually, the reinforcement was restricted to when she was coming down from rearing, still over the bar. This transformed into sniffing the bar, sniffing above the bar, touching the bar, then even pressing on the bar with both paws (although not yet triggering it).
I was very impressed at how quickly she associated the noise and the bar with the food. This was all done in just 20 minutes, yet Sniffy would have taken much much longer (maybe around 30-40 minutes).
This is going to be a great experience, and I am still impressed at Rat's development and speed of association.
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Meet Rat the rat
Although my rat's name was tentatively Female, I simply couldn't take it seriously. It also didn't help that I had to constantly explain not only the pronunciation, but also the story behind the name, so I've decided to revise my rat's name. When deciding what to call it, I decided to think back to what I usually call it when I'm just holding her: Rat. So, due to a lack of creativity on my part, my rat's name is now Rat.
Meet Rat:
Meet Rat:
Monday, September 10, 2012
Fuh-mall-E
Psychology of Leaning at BSC is going to be a memorable class. I expect it will be intriguing and enlightening while being difficult and even frustrating at times. Why frustrating? Well, that's the lab portion of the class. Dealing with animals can be annoying, to say the least, but there can also be immense pleasure and reward, too.
I am a dog person; I always have been and always will be. Dogs are fun, socially interactive, and domesticated animals. This means that they are relatively easy to train with enough time, effort, and motivation (don't get me started on sending dogs to training camps). But rats are slightly different. Because they aren't domesticated, they aren't as easy to train, but fortunately, this also means that their "slate" is wiped clean; they are neither primed genetically to accept commands nor be intraspecially (if I may create the word) social. This makes me slightly nervous but also excited; it's a new experience.
By the end of the first lab, my preconceived notions were verified yet slightly altered. I knew it was going to be frustrating, but even though I logically realized it, I hadn't exactly accepted it (or prepared for it) emotionally. That being said, I was actually more frustrated by the FACT that I was frustrated than I was frustrated by the fact that my rat didn't seem to make any progress -- even by the second session. Illogical, yes, I know, yet those were my thoughts and feelings. Fortunately, I was able to hold my rat and it didn't seem to want to jump off my arms (although it did use me as a toilet).
When it comes to names, I had no idea for a while, but I think I have one I will stick with. My thoughts had always been to create something ridiculous, and when I was sharing a story with a friend, it struck me. The story? When my mom worked in the NICU, she had a new mother come to see her baby girl (who was unnamed at that point). The women, upon seeing her child, claimed "you named my baby! You named my baby Fuh-mall-E!" She mistook the label "female" as a name.
Dear Rat, you now act as a surrogate of human idiocy. May you prove to me that even though you may not be able to read, you at least are intelligent enough to behave predictably. Your name, tentatively might I add, is Female pronounced Fuh-mall-E.
I am a dog person; I always have been and always will be. Dogs are fun, socially interactive, and domesticated animals. This means that they are relatively easy to train with enough time, effort, and motivation (don't get me started on sending dogs to training camps). But rats are slightly different. Because they aren't domesticated, they aren't as easy to train, but fortunately, this also means that their "slate" is wiped clean; they are neither primed genetically to accept commands nor be intraspecially (if I may create the word) social. This makes me slightly nervous but also excited; it's a new experience.
By the end of the first lab, my preconceived notions were verified yet slightly altered. I knew it was going to be frustrating, but even though I logically realized it, I hadn't exactly accepted it (or prepared for it) emotionally. That being said, I was actually more frustrated by the FACT that I was frustrated than I was frustrated by the fact that my rat didn't seem to make any progress -- even by the second session. Illogical, yes, I know, yet those were my thoughts and feelings. Fortunately, I was able to hold my rat and it didn't seem to want to jump off my arms (although it did use me as a toilet).
When it comes to names, I had no idea for a while, but I think I have one I will stick with. My thoughts had always been to create something ridiculous, and when I was sharing a story with a friend, it struck me. The story? When my mom worked in the NICU, she had a new mother come to see her baby girl (who was unnamed at that point). The women, upon seeing her child, claimed "you named my baby! You named my baby Fuh-mall-E!" She mistook the label "female" as a name.
Dear Rat, you now act as a surrogate of human idiocy. May you prove to me that even though you may not be able to read, you at least are intelligent enough to behave predictably. Your name, tentatively might I add, is Female pronounced Fuh-mall-E.
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