Operant conditioning in Goldfish

This is a demonstration of operant conditioning in the goldfish. We use a device called the Fish Stick (PetSci LLC) which presents discriminative stimuli in the form of light or vibration. The reinforcement for hitting the nipple is food. The Fish Stick is useful for demonstrating basic principles of operant conditioning including shaping, extinction, spontaneous recovery, and schedule effects. More complex behavior can also be studied including reversal learning and compound conditioning.

The video clip shows a brief sample of the shaping technique followed by a simple discrimination experiment in which a light serves as a feeding cue. When the light is off no food can be obtained. After a few experiences the fish learns to readily bump the nipple when the light is on and to turn away when it is off.

A device such as that presented here can easily be used for student projects and classroom use related to operant conditioning and comparative psychology.

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• operant conditioning
• classical conditioning
• fish experiment
• fish
• goldfish experiment
• comparative psychology
• psychology

[Dreamcass]

Do you like Fish Sticks?

[bob5212]

I wonder if reinforcement would still occur if the food was replaced with water from the tank.

[Q949621]

@flybybutterflies I'd like to know this, too. Also, thanks for posting videos classical and operant conditioning. They helped me understand.

[vadams2001]

i luvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv luvvvvvvvvvvvv goldie fishies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and we EAT SRIBNKYD R1F2VI

Please do not eat the poop i saved in the fridge

[vadams2001]

I Luv Goldfish XoXo Can Someone Tell My And My Bff How To Upload A Video?? Please Tell Us

[monstahhh12]

@bob5212 lmfao

[Rndeye]

@MacHamish

That's more like classical (not operant) conditioning because there's only one variable.

[MacHamish]

As a clicker trainer of dogs I have observed the same things with fish in my Koi pond.

Tap the side of the pond and they come up for food.

[annaluvs7]

Awesome!!

[annaluvs7]

Awsome

[friedpicklechips]

Go Pokes! did you know there was a pilot program at osu where for two semesters the best behaviorists in the country were guest lectures? the program provided the training for the first certified behavior analyst exam in the country. (yup, right here in oklahoma) the international bcba certification grew directly out of it. jerry eyre, the head of psych with ddsd, coordinated it with his old friend, jerry shook. so - osu was actually a very big part of the birth of bcba's.

[alex007919]

very cute goldfish