This award provides funds to purchase equipment that will allow faculty to develop an alternative version of an introductory psychology laboratory course (Learning & Motivation) that is an integral part of the undergraduate psychology curriculum at Northeastern University. This alternative course substitutes human laboratory and animal field experiments for traditional animal laboratory studies. Major equipment items to be purchased include portable event and video recorders, and video cameras for field experiments of animal learning. Also to be purchased are standard video recording equipment, personal computers, software packages, printers and interfaces for laboratory studies of behavioral and physiological conditioning in humans. Examination of the history and rationale for using laboratory animals in this introductory course indicate that the field has matured to the point where the original reasons for doing so are no longer viable or essential to meet pedagogical goals of the science. Equally important, the new version will enhance the student's learning experience in important ways and draw attention to the fact that behavioral scientists are sensitive to animal welfare issues and willing to make considered changes. The proposed course will serve as an attractive model for hundreds of colleagues who teach this type of laboratory course throughout the United States.
