Pressey Teaching Machine
date: label: date made
content: 1925
name: label: maker
content: Pressey, Sidney
notes: label: Description
content: This machine is designed to teach by having students answer a series of short multiple choice questions and rewarding correct replies. It has a drum like that of a typewriter to which a sheet of questions is attached, a mechanism on the right with four keys at the front (numbered from one to 4), a counter, and a pellet dispenser.
label: Description
content: According to a series of questions on the test on the machine, a user is to indicate what he or she thinks is the best of four numbered questions by pressing the key marked with the number of the right answer. If a shift lever at the back of the mechanism is up,the machine is in the “teach” mode, and a new question does not appear until the student presses the correct key. If the question remains in the opening, the student presses another key. Since the student thus must find the right answer to each question, the machine (Pressey assumed) would teach. The counter is supposed to count the number of tries.
label: Description
content: Under the candy reward tube is a reward dial and pointer. When the lever is down and this pointer is set at 8, eight correct answers in a row will lead to release of a candy. The top of the housing can be lifted. Inside is a drum with three sliding fins. The fins can be slid along so that there is a space for the right answer. With the shift lever up and then occasionally down the student is given intermittent reinforcement plus a test with reward.
label: Description
content: Reference:
label: Description
content: Ludy T. Benjamin, "A History of Teaching Machines," <I>American Psychologist </I>, 43, September 1988, 703-712..
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: Place Made
content: United States: Ohio, Columbus
topic: label: Subject
content: Psychology
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Mathematics
label: See more items in
content: Teaching Machines
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Ohio State University
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 2009.0204.01
label: catalog number
content: 322449
label: accession number
content: 2009.0204
objectType: label: Object Name
content: teaching machine
physicalDescription: label: Measurements
content: overall: 17.3 cm x 43.7 cm x 32 cm; 6 13/16 in x 17 3/16 in x 12 5/8 in