I have to add that I have done quite a bit of successful shaping with various species but found Sniffy to be untrainable. Never used it in class. I agree with Tim. The model used for the programming is different from the model used by many to successfully train actual rather than virtual animals. Another reason why online courses will always be lacking in important experiences for students.
Bill Scott >>> "Shearon, Tim" <[email protected]> 03/14/10 3:46 PM >>> Paul Hmmm. I didn't have a problem with it. That's not a criticism or questioning of your skills but it does suggest that the "author" had a particular theory of shaping and programed it that way. So for a student (or old geezer!) with a matching theory/model it probably worked. For someone with a different model of shaping it didn't (and I suspect your skill at it was superior to mine!) This could lead to something interesting to discuss but I do see your point- Sniffy always seemed like a useful tool but certainly NOT a substitute for the real thing. BTW- I found that just leaving the rat alone often lead to successful bar-press training which also matched my experience. Tim _______________________________ Timothy O. Shearon, PhD Professor and Chair Department of Psychology The College of Idaho Caldwell, ID 83605 email: [email protected] teaching: intro to neuropsychology; psychopharmacology; general; history and systems "You can't teach an old dogma new tricks." Dorothy Parker ________________________________________ From: Paul Brandon [[email protected]] Sent: Friday, March 12, 2010 9:56 PM To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) Subject: Re: [tips] Sniffy.... On a slightly more serious note.... I spent fifty years shaping rats. When I tried to shaped Sniffy as if it were a living rat, nothing happened; it's a very poor simulation of the actual operant conditioning process. On Mar 12, 2010, at 1:56 PM, Marc Carter wrote: > > Hi, All -- > > It's Friday before Spring break starts. I am on the edge of > checked-out. So! > > Does anyone find it strange that Sniffy, a computer program > designed to teach people the principles of learning, has "Mind > Windows" so you can know what the virtual rat is thinking? I'm > having to fight to get my students to stop using those as evidence > for some phenomenon instead of showing me the behavior. It's > making me laugh. > > Somehow I envision two or three generations of behaviorists > spinning in their graves... Not in my grave yet .... Paul Brandon Emeritus Professor of Psychology Minnesota State University, Mankato [email protected] --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [email protected]. To unsubscribe click here: http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13545.bae00fb8b4115786ba5dbbb67b9b177a&n=T&l=tips&o=1256 or send a blank email to leave-1256-13545.bae00fb8b4115786ba5dbbb67b9b1...@fsulist.frostburg.edu --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [email protected]. To unsubscribe click here: http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13058.902daf6855267276c83a639cbb25165c&n=T&l=tips&o=1282 or send a blank email to leave-1282-13058.902daf6855267276c83a639cbb251...@fsulist.frostburg.edu --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [email protected]. To unsubscribe click here: http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df5d5&n=T&l=tips&o=1287 or send a blank email to leave-1287-13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df...@fsulist.frostburg.edu
