Training with Dr. Trench

Goal: After having several training days with Nala not go well, I decided to seek help from my professor. Dr. Trench asked me to describe what problems I had been having and then came to sit in on the train session with me.

Procedure: I went about the training session as usual. I wiped the operant box down and the placed Nala inside. Dr. Trench observed and helped train Nala during the 30 minute session. Nala pressed the bar once, but it was an accidental press. After approximately 15 minutes, Nala started to become uninterested in the bar. She found the front left corner of the operant box and spent the majority of the remaining time sniffing and exploring the corner. 

Results: Nala only pressed the bar one time during the 30 minute session. She also did not want to eat the pellets after about half of the session was done. Several pellets piled up because she would not eat them. 

Discussion: After watching Nala during a training session, Dr. Trench suggested that I put the door on the operant box. The door blocks out most of the sound and the line of sight into the room for Nala. There is a small window that the trainer can look through to see into the box. Dr. Trench said that Nala just seemed a little over excited and nervous in the box. This may be causing her to not want to eat the pellets. It also may contribute to the fact that Nala wants to explore the box more than she wants to get food pellets. The rats sit in a small box all day with nothing to do. The new environment that the operant box presents could be causing Nala to become easily distracted and unfocused on the task at hand.