Welcome to Sniffypedia (Sniffy the Virtual Rat Pro 2.0 wiki)
Due Date
Part 1: Feb 22
Part 2: Within 1 week after chapter 8
Description
"Sniffy," a computerized simulation of a live rat, will be used by students to enhance the understanding of Pavlovian and Operant Conditioning principles discussed in class. It is an alternative to completing the journal article critiques (see the syllabus).
Purpose
The purpose of these exercises is to give you experience in understanding principles of learning discussed in class and to gain first-hand experience training virtual rats. The Sniffy manual contains instructions for the exercises you will complete. In some cases, I will have you read parts of the manual that discuss the theory and background before having you complete the accompanying exercises. You may work alone or in groups of up to 3, but you will each need to turn in your own worksheet.
Sniffy Worksheets
Only do the exercises listed on the worksheets (not all the ones in the book).
Download Sniffy worksheets (Microsoft Excel Files). You will enter your answers directly in the Excel file, which you will then print out and turn in to Dr. Stowell.
How to Access Sniffy
The Sniffy software will be accessible through the EIU Citrix Web Site.
- If you are using a computer in the library's 4th floor computer lab, or a computer in the Greg Triad, this software is already installed and you can access the Sniffy program by opening Internet Explorer and clicking on the bookmark titled "EIU Citrix," or by entering the URL: http://www.eiu.edu/~cats/citrix/ (Click on the login link at the top left of the page).
- The first login screen will ask for your EIU username and password. Include the "student\" prefix with your username (e.g., student\myEIUusername) For the second logon screen, use the username and password displayed on the Sniffy icon in WebCT.
- If you plan to access Sniffy from your own computer, you will be required to install two small programs on your computer the first time that you access Sniffy. Please follow the instructions for installing the client on the Citrix Web Site (http://www.eiu.edu/~cats/citrix/) before logging in. There is a link under "Students" for video tutorials (and a PDF file) on installing and using citrix.
- The Citrix server only allows 19 instances of Sniffy to be running simultaneously, so when you are finished with Sniffy, please logoff so others can have access to it. This is why I also recommend that you work with a partner.
- The "Sniffy Pro V2" icon is found in the "Special Requests" folder after you login.
- When you click on the Sniffy icon, the splash screen will appear briefly, but the program window may be hidden by your web browser. Look on the windows taskbar to switch to the Sniffy program.
- If you find an icon for sniffy on the library computer (without logging in to Citrix), it is a different version. Do not use it!
What is the password to access Sniffy?
View the instructions for logging in on the EIU Citrix Web Site. The first login screen will ask for your EIU Panthermail username and password. For the second logon screen, use the login information provided in WebCT.
Where do I get the Sniffy Manual?
The manuals will be available for 3-day checkout from the reserve desk at the library (located at the bottom of the stairs in the atrium). You can re-checkout the manual after a relatively short waiting period (I think the library's policy is 1 hour after you return it). There are only 18 copies of the Sniffy manual on reserve so I recommend you work together with other students to reduce the number of students who need a manual at the same time.
Saving Your Data Files
Depending on the Sniffy exercise, you will either use files that you saved from earlier exercises or you will start an exercise with a new Sniffy file (see the specific instructions at the beginning of each exercise). Use the file names that are suggested in the manual for each exercise and save them to a flash drive. (Please see the link below under "Citrix Help" about saving your files. Be sure to plug in your flash drive BEFORE you begin Citrix so the drive letter will show up when you are saving your data files). Ignore the recommended location to save your files mentioned in the Sniffy manual on page 37!
Citrix Help
- Citrix: Logon Help
- Citrix: Saving your files (see page 3)
- View a Flash video of Dr. Stowell logging in to Citrix and completing Exercise 1. The video is approximately 3.5 minutes long. NOTE: the video is about 15 MB in size so it may take awhile to load, and the audio is a little choppy.
- When you click on the Sniffy icon, the splash screen will appear briefly, but the program window may be hidden by your web browser window. Look on the windows taskbar to switch to the Sniffy program (or use the alt-tab keyboard shortcut).
General Sniffy Help
Need some pre-made Sniffy files?
- To use the following files, right click on the link and select "Save target as..." (Internet Explorer) or "Save link as..." (Firefox). Save them to a location on your computer or flash drive that you can easily find later. In Sniffy, select "File" and then "Open."
- Sniffy already shaped to press the bar on continuous reinforcement: ShapeBP.sdf
- Sniffy trained on a VR-50 (helpful for exercise 36): VR-50.sdf
Help for Specific Exercises
License
This electronic presentation to be used with ALLOWAY/WILSON/GRAHAM. Sniffy the Virtual Rat Pro, Version 2.0 (withCD-ROM), 2E. From ALLOWAY/WILSON/GRAHAM. Sniffy the Virtual Rat Pro, Version 2.0 (with CD-ROM), 2E. © 2005 Wadsworth, a part of Cengage Learning, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduced by permission. Text/images may not be modified or reproduced in any way without prior written permission of the publisher. www.cengage.com/permissions
Comments (0)
You don't have permission to comment on this page.