The Use of Computers in the Control and Recording of Behavior

Gollub, Lewis R.

doi:10.1016/b978-0-444-81251-3.50012-6

Cited by 5 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 88 publications

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“…This problem is particularly acute in universities where resources are limited, and outside the United States where the costs are higher because of import taxes and shipping costs. Although inexpensive alternatives to commercial equipment have been offered, for example Palya and Walter's () controller board, or a computer's parallel port (e.g., Escobar & Lattal, 2010; Gollub, ), these alternatives are now dated.…”

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confidence: 99%

Low-cost USB interface for operant research using Arduino and Visual Basic

Escobar

Pérez-Herrera

2015

Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior

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This note describes the design of a low-cost interface using Arduino microcontroller boards and Visual Basic programming for operant conditioning research. The board executes one program in Arduino programming language that polls the state of the inputs and generates outputs in an operant chamber. This program communicates through a USB port with another program written in Visual Basic 2010 Express Edition running on a laptop, desktop, netbook computer, or even a tablet equipped with Windows operating system. The Visual Basic program controls schedules of reinforcement and records real-time data. A single Arduino board can be used to control a total of 52 inputs/output lines, and multiple Arduino boards can be used to control multiple operant chambers. An external power supply and a series of micro relays are required to control 28-V DC devices commonly used in operant chambers. Instructions for downloading and using the programs to generate simple and concurrent schedules of reinforcement are provided. Testing suggests that the interface is reliable, accurate, and could serve as an inexpensive alternative to commercial equipment.

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confidence: 99%

Low-cost USB interface for operant research using Arduino and Visual Basic

Escobar

Pérez-Herrera

2015

Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior

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“…La Figura 1 muestra uno de los conectores macho DB25 y el conector hembra con los cables que se conectan al arreglo de relevadores. Es importante notar que no es recomendable usar un cable (o un conjunto de cables) para extender la conexión de la computadora al conjunto de relevadores a más de 10 m (véase Gollub, 1991).…”

Section: Computadora Y Puerto Paralelounclassified

“…Como una alternativa al equipo de control experimental comercial, algunos investigadores han descrito que el puerto paralelo de una computadora puede utilizarse como una interfaz de bajo costo (e.g., Cushman, 1993;Dalrymple-Alford, 1992;Escobar & Lattal, 2010;Gollub, 1991;Iversen, 2002Iversen, , 2008. Iversen (2002), por ejemplo, utilizó una interfaz con un puerto paralelo para controlar una cámara web dentro de una cámara de condicionamiento operante.…”

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Interfaz de Bajo Costo Usando un Puerto Paralelo y Visual Basic

Escobar

Lattal

2010

Analisis de la Conducta

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Este trabajo describe una simplificación en el diseño de la interfaz de bajo costo usando el puerto paralelo de una computadora y Visual Basic, diseñada por Escobar y Lattal (2010). La simplificación consistió en sustituir el conjunto de transistores y diodos que se usaban en el diseño original para controlar los relevadores electromecánicos con un arreglo de ocho pares de transistores Darlington (circuito integrado ULN 2803 A). Este diseño facilita considerablemente la instrumentación y reduce el costo de la interfaz. Para probar el funcionamiento estable de la interfaz, se realizaron pruebas usando programas de reforzamiento encadenados de cuatro componentes con ratas como sujetos. Durante el desarrollo de estas pruebas la interfaz, además de permitir un registro preciso de los datos, funcionó de manera estable en todas las sesiones experimentales. Nuestras pruebas muestran que la interfaz con el puerto paralelo puede usarse como un sustituto de bajo costo del equipo comercial.

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“…Because use of the printer port for experimental control may not be common, a brief description is given here (see also Cushman, 1993;Dalr ymple-Alford, 1992). Gollub (1991) provides additional information about connecting experimental equipment to computers. The printer port ordinarily sends information to and receives information from the printer attached to a computer.…”

Section: Use Of the Parallel Printer Port For Experimental Controlmentioning

confidence: 99%

Response‐initiated Imaging of Operant Behavior Using a Digital Camera

Iversen

2002

J Exper Analysis Behavior

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A miniature digital camera, QuickCam Pro 3000, intended for use with video e-mail, was modified so that snapshots were triggered by operant behavior emitted in a standard experimental chamber. With only minor modification, the manual shutter button on the camera was replaced with a simple switch closure via an I/O interface controlled by a PC computer. When the operant behavior activated the I/O switch, the camera took a snapshot of the subject's behavior at that moment. To illustrate the use of the camera, a simple experiment was designed to examine stereotypy and variability in topography of operant behavior under continuous reinforcement and extinction in 6 rats using food pellets as reinforcement. When a rat operated an omnidirectional pole suspended from the ceiling, it also took a picture of the topography of its own behavior at that moment. In a single session after shaping of pole movement (if necessary), blocks of continuous reinforcement, in which each response was reinforced, alternated with blocks of extinction (no reinforcement), with each block ending when 20 responses had occurred. The software supplied with the camera automatically stored each image and named image files successively within a session. The software that controlled the experiment also stored quantitative data regarding the operant behavior such as consecutive order, temporal location within the session, and response duration. This paper describes how the two data types--image information and numerical performance characteristics-can be combined for visual analysis. The experiment illustrates in images how response topography changes during shaping of pole movement, how response topography quickly becomes highly stereotyped during continuous reinforcement, and how response variability increases during extinction. The method of storing digital response-initiated snapshots should be useful for a variety of experimental situations that are intended to examine behavior change and topography.

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The Use of Computers in the Control and Recording of Behavior

Cited by 5 publications

References 88 publications

Low-cost USB interface for operant research using Arduino and Visual Basic

Low-cost USB interface for operant research using Arduino and Visual Basic

Interfaz de Bajo Costo Usando un Puerto Paralelo y Visual Basic

Response‐initiated Imaging of Operant Behavior Using a Digital Camera

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