Challenges When Using Novel Species in the Experimental Analysis of Behavior: How to Conduct Animal Studies

Abstract

In the early twentieth century, Skinner developed a new type of experimental chamber. Skinner and his co-workers studied a broad range of schedules of reinforcement using rats and pigeons as subjects, benefiting from the invention and innovation of the Skinner box. Both general behavioral laws and species-specific phenomena of various species of animals, including rats and pigeons, have been uncovered as a result of the study of reinforcement schedules in the Skinner box. Researchers are now using other, previously unstudied species to explore even more general or species-specific phenomena. The development of adequate apparatus and experimental procedures is necessary in order to be able to conduct experiments using new species. The present article provides some anecdotes of development, success, and failure in experiments using budgerigars, penguins, kites, sea eagles, and zebrafish. These anecdotes reveal fundamental procedures that must be customized for each species, such as choice of response, shaping method, manipulanda, choice of reinforcers, deprivation methods, and development of specialized feeders. The present tutorial provides several tips for conducting animal studies and shows how problems can be solved with a little ingenuity.