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Date:         Fri, 28 Aug 1992 15:16:35 -0400
From:         psy_delprato@EMUNIX.EMICH.EDU

SUBJECT: PCT in the Classroom

[FROM Dennis Delprato (920828)]

I supervise laboratory experiences of approx. 380 1-2-year
students and 60 3-4-yr. psychology majors each year.  For
this I have worked up numerous labs that have several
administrative requirements.  Basically, they are prepared such
lab instructors can conduct the labs with minimal direction from
me.  Each lab has a manual of instructions with equipment, materials,
procedural, and such requirements spelled out for the instructors.
Each also has a handout for the students for them to use in the
lab meeting, for reference, and for lab reports, when required.
I lay out the above by way of seeking assistance from anyone who
might be interested in getting a PCT lab back on line for use here
and anywhere else (I am not interested in copywriting the thing).
I am interested in getting the lab "up."

As the late great Ross says, "Now, here's the story":

I do no programming, but was able to get the assistance of a
capable student who just about got a particular PCT lab
on line.  I based the lab on Rick Marken's "Selection of
Consequences" paper (Psychol. Reports, 1985, 56, pp. 379-383 also
see Marken & Powers (1989, Behav. Neuroscience, 103, 1348-1355)
The lab is entitled "Goal-Seeking with Random Consequences of
Responses."

I require my labs to go as smoothly as possible from beginning
to end.  In the case of this lab, this means the student must
have guidance provided from the time the Macintosh is turned on until
they turn it off.  No problem.  This goal was met.  I like flexible
labs, by which I mean variables can be changed.  No problem.  We have
default values for several variables, but they can be changed.
I like a clear demonstration for students.  No problem.  The E. coli
problem that Rick devised is a beaut.  I made it into a game.  I require
data to be collected.  No problem.  The computer stores data and the
student can print it out at the end.  Labs that "involve" students
because they are "interesting" are a plus.  No problem here.

Given the lack of problems to this point, then just what is "my"
problem.  The problem is that the "E. coli" program causes the
Macs to crash in an unpredictable (more or less) fashion.  Not
only does the program crash, but other files on the hard drive get
contaminated.  Now I greatly admire what my programmer has done to
this point, but working with amateurs can be frustrating.  The first
things we looked for were viruses.  No matter how hard we looked, we
could find no evidence of viruses.  The last hypothesis had something
to do with the fact that the program used Rascal and perhaps a Mac
operating system that has some slight difference from the ones in
the Macs here.  The student was at Mich. State when he did the
programming.  It could be the Rascal. It could be the operating
systems, ....

Just to fill in on the task, the "EColi Game" is introduced to
the student by directions on the screen that read as follows:

"Your goal is to move the cursor into the target [a box with a size
that can be varied] as fast as possible.  There will be a time limit
of five minutes."

"The only means that you have to control the cursor is to click
the mouse button in the Executor Window.  Moving the mouse has no
effect on the cursor."

"When the game ends, you time and some other relevant data are
shown."

"If you need to stop the game before five minutes have elapsed,
click the mouse inside the target area." [I recall noting
that some other way is needed for this.]

"Hit any key to continue."

IN ANOTHER VERSION, instead of measuring the time to reach
the target, a run (trial) is set at a partucular duration and
the student earns points derived from the amount of time the
cursor stays inside the goal (target, box).

Per Rick Marken's E. coli preparation, responses (mouse
clicks) move the direction of the cursor according to a
random pattern.

Each student can collect a nice amount of data rather quickly
(we have 6 or so Macs).  Performance over runs (trials) can
be plotted and even GROUP data (I know, shame) can be analyzed
via repeated-measures AOV.  The latter can be used to show
how uninformative is the analysis of group data in that
wide individual differences are revealed in the data.

Students can even print out a graphic of their cursor's
tracks.

As I have implied, I have been able to have some
computers go through the entire data collection process.
It is just that the crashing is so unpredictable to render
routine running of the lab unwise.

I suppose I have supplied enough information to anyone
who might be interested.  The recent comments on PCT in
the classroom led me to think of this undertaking that I
have let sit for about a year.

Dennis Delprato
Dept. of Psychology
Eastern Mich. Univ.
Ypsilanti, MI 48197 U.S.A.
Psy_Delprato.EMUNIX.EMICH.EDU