Human Operant Research
Human Operant Research in Behavior Analysis
Operant research is a research about operant behavior. Theoretically, this covers all the organisms in the earth, of course, including human being.
Operant behavior is “behavior that can be modified by its consequences. (p. 400, Catania, 1998)”
Consequences are “event(s) produced by responses. (p. 383)”
Operant research was started by B. F. Skinner at Harvard University with rats and pigeon.
He devised an apparatus commonly called as “skinner box” to collect their behavioral data. A “Skinner box” is also called as an operant chamber.
It is:
A space designed to minimize interference from stimuli irrelevant to experimental conditions (e.g., laboratory noises) and including devices for recording behavior (See Operandum) and presenting stimuli.
Typical chambers may contain mechanisms for delivering reinforcers (e.g., food dispensers), discriminative stimulus sources (e.g., see SHOCK). A houselight for general illumination, feedback devices that produce stimuli such as clicks after each response, and auditory sources that mask outside noise (often, a fan that provides masking noise along with ventilation). (Catania, 1998 p. 380)
Recorded behaviors were lever pressing of rats or key pecking by pigeons. Those behaviors (also called responses) are indicated on cumulative records via electrical circuits.
Cumulative record is a graph that consists of total responses (y-axis) plotted as a function of time (x-axis), usually made by a marker or pen that moves a fixed distance with each response across a paper advancing at a constant speed.
Thus, the further the responding, the steeper the slope. Moment-to-moment changes in slope show the details of changing response rates over time.
“Cumulative recorders typically include additional features; for example, the pen can be reset to its starting position (sometimes called the baseline) after a full excursion across the paper or after some event;
it can be briefly displaced downward or to one side, producing a pip, to indicate a reinforcer or other brief event;
it can be held in its downward position, producing a displaced line, to indicate stimuli or other extended conditions;
and an event to indicate other events. (p. 385)”
See pictures of cumulative records in our data library.
For operant research with human, the apparatus was modified for human use, and systematically replicated original operant research.
The basic premises are 1) subjects are always right, and 2) control variable and see the orderly behavior.
Roots of Dr. Barrett’s human Operant Research
The lines of researches using SIDAD apparatus flows from Behavior Research Laboratory at Metropolitan Mental State Hospital to conduct research on psychiatric patients, started to innovated MOP to SIDAD, then was passed to Walter E. Fernald State School by Dr. Barrett.
Harvard research lab
At Harvard Research Lab, Dr. Lindsley wrote his dissertation on dog’s operant behavior.
A tradition of engineering operant chamber for rates and pigeon has extended to one for a dog by Dr. Lindsley.
He modified the chamber for a dog paw to response. He demonstrated a principle of behavior was also said to dog. Then he devised an apparatus for human. It is called manual operant (MOP).
The success of the engineering led to SIDAD.
SIDAD is an apparatus that has two operanda and manipulanda.
Main target of Dr. Lindsley’s operant research was psychotic patients.
Detail Progress Report II (1956) was the first to describe “Analysis of Differentiation and Discrimination (p. 105)” using SIDAD.
There are publications using SIDAD. Lists of publication as well as the reports of the research lab and to the grant agency are in the archives page.
