Operant Conditioning Chamber

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American psychologist B.F. Skinner invented the operant chamber or "Skinner box" in early 1930s to study environmental variables that affect a rat's behavior. In psychological labs, the device helps scientists analyze how likely an animal is to perform a simple response called operant learning. By offering rewards such as food or water every time a rat presses a lever made of metal, researchers can observe and study this process. Some experiments use visual cues like lights to encourage the rats to press the lever at specific times. The findings from these studies led to numerous principles of behavior that serve as a foundation for psychotherapy treatments based on human actions. The principles have been used extensively in labs where scientists conduct controlled research projects on learning and behavior. Learning experts use this low-cost, 3D-printed equipment to educate their students during college-level courses like Learning and Behavior Analysis taught by Dr. Rogelio Escobar at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). This project provides hands-on knowledge about behavioral analysis in psychology. All printed parts for the device are made with non-toxic material, which reduces environmental risks and keeps participants safe during experimentation. Using a specific layer height of 0.3 mm, researchers also suggest keeping a high fill density level around 20 percent. Experts at the National Autonomous University recommend printing metal-based pieces at higher resolution rates while reducing support structures using a standard design in mind when designing other necessary elements. However, no extra parts were added during the production phase for better usability. They chose to create one part that represents the base with panels holding rods made from stainless steel. For visual purposes, an 8 mm diameter x 210 mm rod will serve as light sources in the experiments when coupled together or with individual LEDs attached using standard plastic holders (adafruit.com) for easy mounting inside these structures while presenting colorful lighting schemes around their settings - a red glow signifying some kind of activation signal when turned on, then turning bright blue afterwards so they know what to look at during trials and get enough stimulation.