Sniffy the Virtual Rat

The new Pro version of the famous Sniffy software simulates a wide range of learning phenomena that are typically discussed in undergraduate courses on the Psychology of Learning. Sniffy, a digital rat in an operant chamber (Skinner Box), helps users explore the principles of operant and classical conditioning with all the benefits of using a live animal and none of the drawbacks. Users begin by training Sniffy to press a bar to obtain food and progress to studies of complex learning phenomena. The Sniffy Pro program provides a simple user interface that enables students to set up events in Sniffy's operant chamber in much the same way research psychologists set up events for real animals. To visualize the results of experiments, the program produces realistic cumulative records and other appropriate behavioural measures of Sniffy's performance. In addition, a series of Mind Windows enable students to visualize how Sniffy's experiences in the Skinner Box produce the psychological changes that their textbooks discuss in connection with the phenomena simulated.