Abstract
The use of operant chambers for research and teaching in behavior analysis is in decline due to the expense, maintenance, and ethical considerations of such complex mechanical apparati (Venneman and Knowles in Teach Psychol 32(1):66–68, 2005. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15328023top3201_13). Other technologies for testing and demonstrating behavioral principles have emerged in the pursuit of creating free operant paradigms that are accessible and effective for students and economical for institutions. One example is virtual programs that emulate the behavior of organisms such as CyberRat and Sniffy (Graham et al. in Behav Res Methods Instrum Comput 26(2):134–141, 1994. https://doi.org/10.3758/bf03204606; Ray in CyberRat (version 1.0), Brown & Benchmark, Madison, 1996; Behav Philos 39:203–301, 2011). Recently, a new instrument has been developed—the Portable Operant Research and Teaching Lab (PORTL; Rosales-Ruiz and Hunter in Operants 4:34–36, 2016). PORTL is a tabletop apparatus comprised of various objects and tools that enable students to experience and manage free operant situations. In addition to its instructional benefits, PORTL provides a setting for basic research to be completed quickly and ethically with human participants. The purpose of this paper is to outline how to incorporate PORTL into undergraduate behavior analysis courses. Several examples of how PORTL has been incorporated into such courses, including sample exercises, are provided as a model for other course instructors.
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It may be important to distinguish the tokens as consequences rather than reinforcers until their effect on the response for which it has been provided contingently is demonstrated.
Once students have become more experienced using PORTL or more advanced in their behavior analytic repertoires, students may choose to break this rule and attempt more individualized procedures, particularly those students who are using PORTL to conduct basic or applied experiments.
Again, once students have become more experienced using PORTL or more advanced in their behavior analytic repertoires, students may choose to break this rule and attempt more individualized procedures, particularly those students who are using PORTL to conduct basic or applied experiments.
This paper covers PORTL’s use in the classroom; however, research laboratories like the Organization for Reinforcement Contingencies with Animals (ORCA) also incorporate PORTL regularly.
A copy of the introduction to PORTL lecture can be obtained by contacting the third author.
In Behavior Principles I, students earn points toward their final grade for participating in the PORTL course component (typically around 250 points out of 1500 total points available for the course). Each PORTL exercise earns the student 20 points toward their final grade and successful completion of the PORTL Mechanics Checkout and the PORTL Shaping Checkout provides students with the opportunity to earn 50 and 100 points, respectively.
In Behavior Principles II, students earn points toward their final grade for participating in the PORTL course component (typically 380 points out of 1500 total points available for the course). Each PORTL exercise earns the student 10 points toward their final grade and successful completion of the PORTL Mechanics Checkout and the PORTL Shaping Checkout provides students with the opportunity to earn 40 and 100 points, respectively. The PORTL Presentation, based on the student's individual PORTL projects is typically worth 100 points.
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Acknowledgements
We would like to extend our most sincere thanks to Dr. Jesus Rosales-Ruiz and Ms. Mary Hunter who originally brought the PORTL technology to our attention for use in the Behavior Principles I and II courses. Without their hard work and resulting technology this manuscript and the current PORTL instructional design sequence would not have been possible. Some readers might be interested in contacting them to obtain access to the forthcoming PORTL manual entitled, “The Portable Operant Research and Teaching Lab: A manual”. They may be contacted at Jesus.Rosales-Ruiz@unt.edu or mehhunter@gmail.com, respectively.
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Appendix
Appendix
Sample List of Materials to Build a PORTL Kit
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Goodhue, R.J., Liu, S.C. & Cihon, T.M. Incorporating the Portable Operant Research and Teaching Laboratory into Undergraduate Introduction to Behavior Analysis Courses. J Behav Educ 28, 517–541 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10864-019-09323-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10864-019-09323-y