Heth box

In this study you will observe your rat in an enclosed space, a box constructed of clear plexi (see picture to right). For the purposes of this course, and partially in jest, this box can be called a "Heth box". It is a much scaled-down (and much cheaper!) version of the more famous Skinner box. Note that some of the Heth boxes that we have are slightly different: instead of all the walls being constructed of clear plexi the bottom and ends are made of thin aluminium.

Later in the course, when we get to some studies looking at operant conditioning, the Heth box can be slightly modified by including two levers (see picture to the right). The levers are made of a stiff, bent wire. Ideally, in an actual Skinner box the levers would be connected to food dispensers or lights, etc. However, in our case students will have to watch the rat carefully, decide when it has depressed a lever, and provide the appropriate reinforcer manually.