Final Wrap-Up

March 17, 2016.

Overall, this has been a really good experience for me. I really liked having a rat that is my own to take care of and train, and I really looked forward to doing it each day (I only skipped a few days I couldn't find time to train on). I've also said this before, but it really helped me learn the class material because I was using it in some form during each training session.

Remy was a pretty good learner, and the chart below summarizes her average number of responses over the course of the training sessions. The fact that she learned pretty well made it more fun; I'm sure i would have been frustrated to no end and not enjoyed the assignment nearly as much if she didn't. So, other than being frustrated sometimes, I can't think of anything that really needs improvement in the process.

What was most surprising to me was that the process was so difficult starting out (shaping, in particular). I guess I just thought it would be simple--I'm giving the rat food, and she should want food because I took it all away from her, so why would she do anything other than want that food? She made the choice often to not eat the food or to not work for it, and that was surprising to me.

Before this project, a misconception I had was that training seemed like something I wouldn't ever really be able to do. I tried to train my dog when we first got her almost 12 years ago, and none of that was at all successful or long-lasting. (Although, she is a pretty well-behaved dog anyway...) Now I feel like I will be able to use operant conditioning procedures in my daily life, if not just because I learned them but also because they are on my mind more frequently. I can really use this stuff!

To those who have been reading along with me as I've been doing this, thanks! It's been a lot of fun and I hope I've been providing entertainment and education!

-Jessica