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Behavior > Operant Behavior > Bussey-Saksida Rodent Touch Screen Chambers > Software
Behavior > Integrated Behavior and Electrophysiology > Integrated Software

 

Details

This enhanced version of the Animal Behavior Environment Test (ABET) system retains all the features of ABET II Standard while adding convenient tools for the display of screen images and the monitoring of touch screen responses.

There are several interface systems and behavioral control software packages on the market, however, only ABET II offers a system that can be user customized and programmed with no programming experience. Every effort has been made to make this easy enough to use for those with minimal operant conditioning experience, yet powerful enough to run complex schedules for the experimental analysis of behavior. If you can conceptualize your experiment in a spreadsheet or flow chart, you can create the conditions needed for a complete ABET II Operant Schedule. This is the only product that makes it just as easy to present a screen image as it is to turn on a stimulus light and just as easy to record a touch response to that image location as it is to record a lever press. This one ABET II application includes five major components on easy to select folder tabs.  Click the Features Tab for additional information. 

Features

ENVIRONMENT DESIGNER

• Name environment inputs and outputs one time for all connected chambers.
• Duplicate the named environment as many times as needed or add a second different environment that can run right alongside the first environment
• Test connected environment from an easy to use pop up window
• Add a second level of input and output aliases in Schedule Designer as appropriate for schedule clarity or data sorting

SCHEDULE DESIGNER

• A single workspace with all the tools needed to program your environment. Simply click on the appropriate tool to add, edit, or delete device aliases, variables (timers, counters, constants), lists, and conditions
• Label and define simple variables, timers, counters, constants and lists without restrictions or limitations
• Draw from a list in truly random order, random without repeat, random without replacement, or sequential order
• Define a simple or complex condition and specify an action with convenient Pull down menus
• Run multiple conditions in the same group and all conditions will always be evaluated. This is significantly different from other systems that may either exit a state as soon as it tests true or never exit to a new condition without complicated links
• Never write a single line of program code. ABET II will print all schedule details in a well organized spreadsheet like format that is color-coded to make it easy for anyone to follow each logical step. Schedules can be "versioned" and locked to prevent any data corruption once an experiment is started

EXECUTION MANAGER

• Load single or multiple environments with same or different schedules in one step
• Expand session variables as need without limit using single line or multi-line fields for notes, animal identification, weight, dose or treatment, and other information
• Adjust variable settings globally or individually from the keyboard or an experiment file
• Activate a real time debugger when needed to follow and save each performance step of a schedule while it is being tested
• Enjoy the security of the most comprehensive database of any system

DATA VIEWER

• Load one or multiple sessions for viewing
• Select your data source, date range or multiple selection criteria to isolate only the sessions of interest
• Display Session information, raw data, event totals, reduced data, IRT's and Bins
• Copy or export selected data or entire data views to Excel or a statistical package of your choice
• Perform unlimited user defined analysis of measures / paths (latencies), bouts, or counts with Analysis Set Designer. Because ABET II records every detail of a session with millisecond precision data elements need not be pre-programmed as with other systems
• Design a graphical cumulative record with numerous tools to define step traces, pips, and events
• Recall locked schedules from the encoded database for future replication if ever needed

ANALYSIS DESIGNER

• Design, organize and export standard or user written data sets
• Measure latencies from/to first, last or Nth encounter of defined path
• Bout Analysis of frequency data
• Time bin evaluation
• Record counts of any response or schedule driven event
• Perform evaluations based on measures and counts

GRAPHICAL CUMULATIVE RECORD

Design a graphical cumulative record with numerous tools to define the chart size, step traces, pips, and events.

VIRTUAL INTERFACE

Install ABET II on your laptop, office computer or any computer not connected to hardware. The Virtual Interface is a duplicate of the environment that you have in your lab. You can now create, review, and test schedules and you can review or analyze lab data in a more convenient setting. Pass schedules and data to and from your lab either by a network connection or any removable media. ABET II also includes convenient backup and restore utilities.

Specifications

MINIMUM COMPUTER SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

The computer specifications will depend on the number of chambers running touch screens. Multiple expansion slots will be required for multiple chambers.

• Microsoft® Windows® 7, Microsoft® Windows® 8.1, or Microsoft® Windows® 10 (recommended)
• Personal computer with a minimum 3.2 GHz Quad Core Processor (i5 recommended) or higher
• Two PCI Card Slots (full size):
  • for ABET II Interface
  • for Quad VGA card (chambers 1 to 4)
• One PCI Express Slot For 4-Port RS232 card (chambers 1 to 4)
• On-Board VGA or DVI for PC operation
• 8 GB of RAM or higher recommended
• Hard Drive:
  • 150 MB of available hard-disk space for installation; additional free space required during installation (cannot install on removable flash storage devices)
  • Additional disk space required for data files and other working files (30 GB recommended)
• Optical Disk Drive (CDR, CDR/W, or equivalent)
• Microsoft-compatible keyboard and mouse
• Microsoft .NET Framework 4.0 support required
• 80698-1 Whisker Multi-Media Single Station License for each connected chamber
• UPDD, Universal Pointer Device Driver single license

Downloads

Research Papers and Bibliographies

Whisker: A client–server high-performance multimedia research control system
Coding in pigeons: Multiple-coding versus single-code/default strategies
Effects of environmental and pharmacological manipulations on a novel delayed nonmatching-to-sample ‘working memory’ procedure in unrestrained rhesus monkeys

Related Products

4 Station Rodent Touch CPU and Controller
Model 88520

System contains: PC Controller with USB Keyboard, USB Mouse, DVI 20" LCD Flat Panel Monitor, Quad RS232 Adapter, 2 Dual Video Card (DVI), Universal Pointer Device Driver (UPDD).