Dr. Beatrice Barrett - Her Contribution to Behavior Analysis

At Harvard Research Lab

At Harvard Research Lab, Dr. Lindsley wrote his dissertation on dog’s operant behavior. A tradition of engineering operant chamber for rates and pigeon has extended to one for a dog by Dr. Lindsley. He modified the chamber for a dog paw to response. He demonstrated a principle of behavior was also said to dog. Then he devised an apparatus for human. It is called manual operant (MOP). The success of the engineering led to SIDAD. SIDAD is an apparatus that has two operanda and manipulanda.

SIDAD:Diagram

SIDAD:Scene in experiment

Dr. Lindsley’s operant research with psychotic patients. Detail Progress Report II: Report for the third and fourth years on an Experimental Analysis of Psychotic Behavior Harvard Medical School, Department of Psychiatry, Behavior Research Laboratory, Metropolitan State Hospital, Waltham, Massachusetts Principal investigator: Ogden R. Lindsley, Ph. D. Period covered: 1 June 1956 – 30 November 1958 Research Grant MH – 977 From the National Institute of Mental Health of the National Institutes of Health, Public Health Service
In this report, SIDAD was described for the first time (p. 105).

 

Diagram of experimental design of SIDAD:

Graphs:
Responses of SIDAD experiments are taken as cumulative records. There are cumulative records of:

• C1M1
• C1M2
• C2M1
• C2M2
• RinSR: responses during the delivery of reinforcement
• M1+M2: M1+M2 is responses with both M1 and M2 plungers

Here is a sample of cumulative record. It is C1M1 on FR 10.

 

 

Behavior Data Card (FRONT):

Steps of this process are:
1. LAB #: Patient’s laboratory number
2. PATIENT’S NAME: Patient’s Name
3. EXPTR: Initials of the experimenter
4. DURATION: Duration of the experimental session. a) HRS b) MINr
5. ROOM: Number of the experimental room in which the session was conducted
6. EXPL. SESSION: Number of the experimental session for this particular patient
7. DATE / FINISH TIME: The date and time that the experimental session was finished
8. (HOLIZONTAL LINE)
9. APPARATUS FAILURE / WITHDRAWAL REASON
10. a) APPARATUS FAILURE: Describe apparatus failures
    b) WITHDRAWAL REASON: Describing the reason that a patient might withdraw from the room before the end of the session
11. R#: Number and type of manipulanda used
    SR : Reinforcer used
    SCHED: Schedule of reinforcement
    # SR: The number of reinforcements delivered
    #R: Number of responses made
12. TIME AFTER: The total duration of inter-response times greater than ten seconds is entered at “time after” at the end of the session
    TIME BEFORE: The total duration of inter-response times greater than ten seconds is entered at “time before” before the experimental session
    ∑ IRT > 10”: Sum of inter-response times greater than ten seconds
    # IRT > 10”: Number of inter-response times greater than ten seconds
    M IRT > 10”: The difference between these two reading is the sum of the inter-response times greater than ten seconds and is entered in the space labeled “∑ IRT > 10”.”
    The reading of the counter that records the number of inter-response times greater than ten seconds is entered in the space labeled “# IRT > 10”,” and the mean inter-response time greater then ten seconds can be computed by dividing the ∑ IRT > 10” by the # IRT > 10” and entered in the space labeled “M IRT > 10”.” Note: “R in SR “
13. (Observation from periscope during each session) RESPONSES: Circle the word describing which extremity the patient used to make his responses. If the patient responses through the 5-second magazine cycle (when no responses are ever reinforced) “responding through SR” is circled and the reading of a counter which records the number of responses made during this time is entered immediately above these words.
14. STEREOTYPY: If the patient responded in a stereotyped fashion on two or more manipulanda, the pattern of this stereotype is written in the space labeled “R# _____ hand _____.”
15. BEHAVIOR IN PAUSES: The words describing the particular behavior (both verbal and motor) of the patient when he is not responding may be circled. These words describe the particular psychotic symptoms that the patients engage in when they are not pulling the knobs.
16. CONDIT. OF ROOM: The condition of the room can be circled after “condition of room” where smearing, defecation, urination, vomit, torn scraps of paper or clothing may be described.
17. SR LEFT# / TYPES: If the patient left any reinforcers in the room, the number and types that were left are entered in the space labeled “SR left # _____ Types _____.”
18. COMMENTS: Additional description may be entered in the space labeled “comments” at the bottom of the card.

 

Behavior Data Card (BACK):

On the back of the card the words describing the patient’s behavior when he left the ward, when he was in the patients’ lounge (laboratory waiting room), when he approached the experimental room, and when he returned to the lounge from the experimental room may be circled. There is space to write the patient’s reason for refusing at any stage and what the patient spontaneously said while being transported.

The result of a cursory physical examination is conducted on each patient each day that he is studied are also entered on the back of the card. We have found this physical examination important because in a large, under-staffed state hospital a few patients develop minor physical illness that would definitely interfere with their experimental behavior. These illnesses would go unnoticed if we did not provide this examination as a precaution. The attendants on the wards do not conduct such thorough examinations on each patient each day, and the rhythmical changes in the behavior of some patients were not correlated with an increase in physical illness symptoms. Since we have been routinely examining our patients, we have sent three patients to the hospital medical wards (two with pneumonia and one with hepatitis). Additional space is provided on the back of the card for listing important observations that had not been anticipated in the body of the card.

This card has been in use since 17 August 1955 and has greatly facilitated our data collecting and processing. The descriptive items are, of course, not as objective as the counter and timer readings, but they are useful first-approximations and provide a way of measuring relationships, like the increase in defecation and mental extinction. The next step, of course, is an IBM card, but our printed cards contain much more information than the 80 units of information stored on one IBM card, and we have not yet standardized our experimental descriptive observations to the point that we can adapt them to an IBM or Keysort system.

 

There are publications using SIDAD. Lists of publication as well as the reports of the research lab and to the grant agency are in the archives page.