Sniffy, the Virtual Rat, Pro Version

Sniffy offers a very good introduction to the basic concepts of both operant and classical conditioning paradigms. The authors are careful to make a discrimination between responses which are elicited, and those which are emitted. It has been several years since I, as a psychologist, was in training for the motivational psychology area involving the use of live laboratory animals. Sniffy, although certainly not a substitute for animal training within the more advanced areas of operant and classical paradigms, certainly does meet muster with the basic orientation to S-R, S-d, and UCS-CS associations. It certainly brought back many pleasant, and unpleasant memories with my personal association of training rats in running mazes and performing conditioning paradigms. Sniffy is a very good program for demonstrating the introductory phases of basic bar press -- bar click -- food Association. I was pleasantly surprised by the realistic look and actions of Sniffy and the inginuity of the various possible designs of the experiments. The cumulitive recorder serves as a basis for the student to remain at Sniffy's window as one never knows when data will be lost if the cumulative record paper is not changed timely. In reading some of the negative comments peratining to the program made by others frustrated with the time it took to initially "condition" Sniffy to the bar or other tasks, it seemed to me the discriminative stimuli within the responses by students was simply that those who were proficient in making appropriate successive approximations to the goal were simply more successful (requiring less time) than those who were not able to identify and impliment the correct successive approximations. For more advanced procedures such as operant/classical overlap, DRO schedules, DRL schedules, and the effects of preconditioning on negative transfer of training (perhaps even retroactive inhibition?) obviously use of live laboratory animals with instrumentation from a resource of quality operant chamber/Skinner box equipment such as Lafayette Scientific is clearly indicated. Sniffy is, in my opinion, an excellent introduction to classical and operant conditining methods and certainly serves as an adjunct to a basic behavior modification course prior to use of live animals in a lab, or may serve as a stand alone adjunct for a general basic introduction to psychology course. I recall some smelly days working in a research area where our introductory students did not have the advantage of working with animals which virtually did not smell. The days of Ogden Lindsley, Baer, Monrose Wolf, Nate Azrin, & B. F. Skinner would have been much less noisome if "Sniffy" would have been around. I liked it and would use it if I were to teach an introductory course, and for preparing more advanced students entering their inital sojurn into an animal lab. Jerrell L. Driver, Ph.D. Licensed Psychologist Health Services Provider Certified

I have completed all of the exercises in the book and software, as well as using it to provide training to my students. I have found that it does exactly what it states it will do...give the student exposure to the basics of operant conditioning in an environment that does not allow or cannot afford live laboratory animals. Is using Sniffy as good as using a live animal? No, but it is not intended to be. Neither is it as difficult as training a live animal. The excercises can be completed relatively quickly...usually in less time than is indicated in the book. Training a live animal, including monitoring food intake, controlling environmental variables, etc., requires considerably more time. If you are an instructor debating about whether to use this as opposed to using live rats; use the live rats if you have the facilities and budget. If not, do not hesitate to select this product. It fills a niche very nicely.

This is a great way to learn about classical and operant conditioning, especially for the student of psychology. The textbook does put things at a very basic level, which may annoy some who already know the basics of conditioning. However, don't be discouraged. The major strength is the software that enables you to do simulated conditioning. Working with both the textbook and software is an excellent way to learn about conditioning. All the courses that I have done covering conditioning have been theoretical and I enjoyed being able to apply the knowledge.