Chair: Kennon A. Lattal (West Virginia University)
The availability of inexpensive do-it-yourself electronics and 3D printing has been the catalyst for the maker movement, often defined as the involvement of individuals in the construction of objects, tools, and electronic devices that include a variety of sensors and actuators. This tutorial will describe how, for over a decade, my research group has focused on using and teaching how to use these new technologies to build inexpensive equipment to record and control behavior in operant research. One of our first objectives was to construct an operant conditioning chamber for rats that could be controlled with an inexpensive but reliable interface capable of recording responses with high accuracy under different schedules of reinforcement. Over the years, we have improved the designs and created new devices to include fixed and retractable levers, nose-poke sensors, food and water dispensers, as well as light and tone generators. Adhering to an open-source policy, we have made our designs, files, and programs freely available to those interested in building custom-made operant chambers. The possibility of building custom equipment could inspire researchers to ask questions involving complex settings and eliminate the restrictions frequently stimulated by available commercial equipment.
Негізгі бет Rogelio Escobar, Present and Future of Do-It-Yourself Instrumentation for Operant Research, SQAB
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