Apisara Yooyuen Jaja

Work Log

Date: 29 March 2017

Goal: Today, we are going to finish question for the experiment.

Reflection:

We do researching background information about each types of rodents by focusing on their

learning abilities. We also do some discussion in group after we did some research. We found that
rat is the type of rodents that has highest learning ability and good at running mazes. However, we
talk about it and choose another specie because size of rat is too big for the maze. We design that
our maze should not be too big size so we choose to do the experiment on hamsters which is also
quite smart. We choose to work on the same specie because we need to use the same maze so we
try to use same size of organisms. There are many trick to teach hamster such as to hold the food or
somethings above its head and say the word for training. We might compare learning ability of male
and female hamster to find which specie can learn faster or comparing hamsters eating different
foods.

We did not hit the goal but we got almost ideas what we will do for the experiment. We also
saw examples of experiment about rodents and maze. Next class we will exactly finish the question
for the experiment by using the ideas that we get from the research and discussion. We will discuss
focusing more about how gender and food might affect leaning ability of rodents.

Source:

https://link.springer.com/article/10.3758/BF03197990

http://www.rocketswag.com/animal/hamster/How-Smart-Are-Hamsters.html

http://www.wikihow.com/Teach-a-Hamster-Tricks

How to Teach a Hamster Tricks

The first thing that people need to do for training or teaching hamsters is to make relationship with
them to make them to be not scared of human. People have to know all about their pets such as
their behaviors. Starting to train hamsters by using supply such as food is the good way. Repeating
stage will take a long time but also make them being professional.

Date: 30 March 2017

Goal: Today, we will finish the question including some detail.

Reflection:

We work on our ideas from last group discussion. We decide to do the experiment about
food and nutrition rather than gender of rodent. So, I researches more about nutrition that hamsters
might get from eating. I find the information showing what type of food that is good for hamster
learning ability. We discuss and decide to choose adding more broccoli to their food to compare one
who does not eat broccoli. Broccoli mostly contains vitamin K which is benefit for improving
memory. We will use sunflower seed for their food (control variable) because this is common food
for hamsters.
 Apisara Yooyuen Jaja

We finished creating the question for the experiment. We also designed roughly for the
experiment. We finished listing all variables in the maze experiment such as independent variable
which is broccoli. During working, we also took some video preparing for the final product. Next time
we will designed procedure.

Reference:

http://hamsterific.com/hamsterific-university/acceptable-hamster-food-list/

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=57

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2356/2

http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/Research/Important-study-Vitamin-K-shows-benefits-for-
memory

Date: 17 April 2017 (@home)

Goal: Research and understand more about independent variable that might affect to the
experiment

Reflection:

We chose to test that does broccoli affect hamsters learning ability. So, we need to know
basic information about it as must that we can. Broccoli or Brassica oleracea is one type of vegetable
that hamster can eat. Broccoli contains high nutrient especially fiber, iron, potassium, vitamin C, and
vitamin K. Moreover, it also has higher protein than many vegetables. The raw one contain a lot of
water which is about 90%. We think that broccoli can be eaten easily by hamsters and we will chop
into small pieces to make them can eat it easier.

Reference:

https://authoritynutrition.com/foods/broccoli/

Date: 21 April 2017

Goal: Today, we will finish listing all materials that we are going to use and writing outline for the
proposal.

Reflection:

We discussed about our project and what are we going to do to make sure that everyone
understand the work in the same way. We read some information and chose type of maze that we
will make together. Then, we wrote an outline on the google doc for the proposal to ensure that we
include all topic that we need. We listed all small topics that we can think and assigned who will do
which part of the proposal. I will write about how to educate rodents in literature review part. I also
finished designing data table for the experiment.

We completed writing outline as our goal and we already known which part who will work
on so if we have time we can work on the weekend. Nest time, we will continue working on writing
proposal.
 Apisara Yooyuen Jaja

Reference:

http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/2004-11/1100349099.Zo.r.html

http://animals.mom.me/training-mice-run-mazes-11136.html

http://jrscience.wcp.muohio.edu/nsfall01/FinalArticles/AmazingMice.html

Date: 26 April 2017

Goal: Today, we will finish drawing the maze

Reflection:

We discussed about our outline proposal. We designed the maze together to already
finished drawing. We listed the material that we will use for making the maze. The maze will not be
to complicate because we do not want to make hamsters stress. We added the information that
each members found or wrote on the last weekend into google doc that include all information of
our group. Today, we finished designing the maze part and next class we will continue working on
the final proposal.

Reference:

http://www.ratbehavior.org/RatsAndMazes.htm

Date: 27 April 2017

Goal: Today, we will focus on finishing proposal outline (rewrite some parts).

Reflection: We discussed progress of our work on proposal first. Then, we focused on each part of
proposal outline. I helped writing methodology on preparing the maze part. We talked more to
understand the detail of designing maze such as the reasons to choose materials for building. We
also fixed some part of proposal that we did wrong because of misunderstanding. Next time, on the
weekend, we will continue working on the outline because we did not finish all of it but almost.

Reference:

Date: 3 May 2017

Goal: Today, we will focus on proposal and discuss about final product (VDO).

Reflection: We discussed on planning of final product which is VDO presentation a bit before starting
working on the proposal. I wrote the storyboard of VDO and presented my ideas to other members.
We discussed about it which parts we will need to take a VDO for creating the final product at the
last. I edited and added more in the Methodology Literature Review part which I wrote before after
discussed about it with my friends. I did not finished edited it but almost finished. Next class, we will
talked with teacher to get any comments on our proposal.
 Apisara Yooyuen Jaja

Reference:

http://jrscience.wcp.muohio.edu/nsfall01/FinalArticles/AmazingMice.html

Date: 4 May 2017

Goal: We will talk with teacher about proposal outline to find where should we edit and edit the
proposal.

Reflection: We talked with teacher to get comments on our proposal outline. Then we discussed
about where we will fix and edit some parts that still have some problems. I took some VDO of
working on proposal part for creating final product. I edited storyboard that I have written after we
get more some ideas on what we are going to do in the experiment. I needed to care a lot on
planning for storyboard to ensure that we got all VDO of every working parts needed for the
product. When I came back home, I started editing VDO for the final product because we already
took some VDO of our researching part.

Reference:

Date: 5 May 2017

Goal: We will write more and edit some part of final proposal.

Reflection: After we got comments on our proposal outline, we continued fixing it. We also edited
some part of the final proposal that we have written before. Before we submit the outline, each
member wrote on different parts of proposal but now we put all contents in to the document and
started reading each others work. We helped editing on each other part. I edited my work and also
help editing literature review part. Today, I finished editing part of proposal that I got at the first
time which is Methodology Literature Review but not finished part of other members yet. Next class,
time we will start working on the maze. I also edited some part of VDO at home such as researching
parts and the introduction part.

Reference:

Date: 14 May 2017

Goal: We will start building the maze follow our draft design.

Reflection: We started building the maze. I measured the length and size of maze and drafted them
on the cardboard. Then, we cut the cardboard in to small pieces that will be able to combine to the
maze. We also planned roughly when we will finish the maze and the experiment because we need
enough time for working on final project. So, this day we also took some VDO of each process to put
 Apisara Yooyuen Jaja

in the VDO. We did not finish building the maze yet but we planned to finish it next class. During this
period, we will give one of hamster a broccoli and observe.

Reference:

Date: 15 May 2017

Goal: We will finish building the maze.

Reflection: We continued building the maze. We combined all pieces of cardboard that we cut last
time together. Today, we finished building the maze. First, we planned to decorate the maze but we
changed because we thought that we did not have enough time for working on that much. We
recorded VDO during all process. After that, we also went to see and play with our hamsters in lab.
We recorded a lot of VDO for the final product. Lastly, we added them some more food. When I
came back home I edited VDO especially the part of building the maze.

Reference:

Date: 16 May 2017

Goal: We will let hamsters try to run in the maze to introduce the maze to them.

Reflection: Since we finished our proposal, we could start let our hamster to run in the maze that we
finish creating in last class. We let them run in the maze each hamster per two round and observe
their behavior in addition to records time and errors. We wanted them to be used to the maze so
first time we only let them walk slowly inside. Then, we used their normal food to be a stimulus that
make them walk following when we aim. We also started taking VDO to introduce our hamsters and
talked about what we did with these two hamsters. Next class, we will continue working on the
same thing. We will let them run in the maze again and record time and errors. I also edited the VDO
when I came back home for some part that we already done.

Reference:

Date: 17 May 2017 (after school, @school)

Goal: We will let hamsters run in the maze again and take VDO of us for the final product.

Reflection: We let them run in the maze again but this day we did not give them food much as other
days to try if it is better to make them complete the maze or not. We found the problem because
this day they did not active like other days. We thought that it might because they did not have
enough energy from eating food. Then, we record the VDO of us. We explained about our process in
 Apisara Yooyuen Jaja

the VDO. After that, when I came back home, I edited those VDO. The final product did not finish yet
but I finished editing some parts of process because we always took some VDO since the beginning.

Reference:

Date: 19 May 2017

Goal: We will continue teaching our hamsters.

Reflection: We kept working on teaching them to complete the maze. We educated them by placing
food at the end of the maze. So, when they completed the maze they could get food. This is positive
reinforcement which is operant conditioning. We finished teaching them and let them try to run by
themselves. Next class, we will keep continuing working on this process to repeat their behavior and
observe their learning progress.

Reference:

Date: 22 May 2017

Goal: We will continue teaching our hamsters and compare their learning progress.

Reflection: We studied in class and learn more about reinforcement and punishment including
positive and negative ways. After that, we went to teach our hamsters in the lab and made a next
trials and observe their behavior to compare their learn progress. We also took VDO of them and
recorded the result. We discussed about our VDO which is final product. We talked about which
parts are left and which parts is done. We finished trial in a short time. Next class we will work on
our reflection.

Reference:

Date: 23 May 2017

Goal: We will write on our reflection about how we learn this quarter.

Reflection: We finished almost all process on the experiment. Each members in group separated to
do their own part of work. I continued working on editing the VDO of final product. We discussed
about our result that we got from the experiment. Then, we wrote our own reflection about this
project. I described about how we learned since the beginning and also focused on how to maintain
hamsters stress. I did not finished whole reflection in class but done for about half of it. Next class,
we will discuss more about the result and see their learning graph.

Reference:

-
 Apisara Yooyuen Jaja

Date: 26 May 2017

Goal: We will discuss our result and conclude to answer our experiment question.

Reflection: We discussed about our result that we got from the experiment. We looked at their
learning curve and their mistake curve to see how they are different. The learning curve of both
hamsters are more stable since the sixth trial especially the curve of hamster that eats broccoli have
no slope. So, we concluded that both of them have completed their learning. From the graph, we
compared both hamster and found that the one that eats broccoli have faster leaning progress
because its slope of the curve is steeper than another one. Therefore, we could conclude our
experiment that the hamster that eats broccoli have better learning progress and broccoli can
improve learning ability. We also recorded the VDO of discussion process to be put into the final
product.

Reference:

Date: 26 May 2017 (After school, @home)

Goal: I will edit VDO for the final product.

Reflection: My friend and I recorded our voice for the very last part of product. They sent me the file
of their voice to me. I also recorded my voice for the part of data table and learning curve. We found
that since after the fifth trial, their scores became more stable especially hamster that eat broccoli
have no slope for graph after around sixth to tenth trials. So, it means that they already have
learned. I put all VDO and recording voice on the final product and edited it. I finished more than a
half of final product and I would continue on next day.

Reference:

Date: 27 May 2017

Goal: I will finish editing VDO for the final product and work on e-port.

Reflection: I continued editing the VDO. I took a long time because our VDO is quite long and we put
a lot of information in there since we want to make our VDO in very detail. When I finished VDO, I
uploaded it on YouTube and sent the link to my friends in group for uploading on their portfolio. I
also worked on my portfolio. I finished learning record and work log. Then, I put them on Weebly.

Reference: