Sniffy: The Virtual Rat

Sniffy: The Virtual Rat also known as Sniffy Pro and Sniffy Pro for Windows is a suite of computer software used for teaching the psychology of learning which simulates a rat in an operant box and can be used to run experiments and classical conditioning and operant conditioning.It is designed as an alternative to teaching psychology of learning using real rats, which can be prohibitively expensive or may be considered unethically cruel towards animals.Some general advantages and limitations of Sniffy noted by Jukabow are listed below:Advantages:⁕It can simulate several classical conditioning topics that are covered in introductory courses such as: acquisition, extinction, spontaneous recovery, stimulus-intensity effects, compound conditioning, blocking, overshadowing, overexpectation, inhibition, sensory preconditioning, higher-order-conditioning, sensitization, and background conditioning.⁕It can simulate many of the operant conditioning topics covered in introductory courses such as: magazine training, reinforcement, punishment, secondary reinforcement, simple operant schedules, and discrimination.⁕It is not as expensive as maintaining a live animal lab.⁕It is more time effective than an animal lab. Students can be given the software and do the projects on their own time rather than during scheduled lab hours.

• Sniffy the Virtual Rat is a fun, interactive software program that gives undergraduate students a virtual laboratory experience. Similar choice › Sniffy pro 6.2.4.
• As you may remember from my previous post, not only do I have a real rat named Remy for my Learning Psychology class, I also have a virtual rat named Sniffy (3.0)! Below are a couple of pictures of Sniffy eating from the food magazine (left) and rearing (right).

To learn the basics of magazine training and shaping, we used the computer program, Sniffy. First, I had to magazine train the virtual rat. The rat is magazine trained when there is an association between the sound of the magazine (where the food pellets are distributed from) and the distribution of food in the hopper. Here, the primary reinforcer is the presentation of food. During magazine training, I rewarded him each time he was near the hopper. This also introduced a 'secondary reinforcer,' the sound the hopper makes when presenting food. It took approximately 30 minutes for Sniffy to fully associate the sound with the presentation of food in the hopper.

Sniffy the Virtual Rat is a fun, interactive software program that gives undergraduate students a virtual laboratory experience. Similar choice › Sniffy pro 6.2.4. Sniffy the Virtual Rat is an interactive program that gives students a virtual laboratory experience of a rat in a Skinner Box. Sniffy is an interactive program that gives students a virtual laboratory experience of a rat in a Skinner Box. Sniffy is now available as an app for Mac and Windows.

After Sniffy was magazine trained, I began shaping him to push the lever above the hopper. By pushing the lever, food was presented to Sniffy. This process took many steps as Sniffy cannot immediately learn this behavior. I gradually trained him to stay in the back corner by reinforcing him when he was in the correct area. Then, I started reinforcing him each time he reared up near the bar. Eventually, Sniffy pressed the bar, though it took about an hour for this particular behavior to be learned.

The next step was to put Sniffy on a reinforcement schedule. I chose a VR5, or variable ratio. Here, Sniffy would need to push the bar on average 5 times in order to receive one reinforcement. At first, he got very frustrated. He would press the bar once, maybe twice, and then check the hopper for food. It was confusing for him in the beginning as he didn't quite understand why there wasn't food in the hopper even though he pushed the bar. Soon after, he learned that he had to push it multiple times to receive a reinforcement. The behavior became more concrete when he associated the sound of the food pellet dropping in the hopper with after pushing the bar x amount of times. He would push the bar until he heard the pellet drop, then eat the pellet and continue the behavior.

Sniffy The Virtual Rat Results

Sniffy The Virtual Rat Macho

Sniffy App

Sniffy The Virtual Rat Machine

The virtual rat was very helpful in determining how difficult it may be in shaping a live rat to perform a specific behavior.

Sniffy The Virtual Rat Macro