Cam Stepper Relay Module
Datecirca 1955
Inventory NumberWJ1010
ClassificationOperant conditioning module
Subject
Dimensions18 × 7.5 × 10.3 cm (7 1/16 × 2 15/16 × 4 1/16 in.)
Material
AccessoriesWJ0978 is the other part of Skinner Exhibit #10.
DescriptionBlack rectangular panel front. Various colored snap leads are attached to silver posts. Attached to the back is a motor partially covered by two silver panels.,rectangle. Mounted in instrument rack (WJ1011).
Curatorial RemarksInstrument was not weighed. Above is an estimate.
Originally mounted in instrument rack (WJ1005) for exhibit in William James Hall (basement), removed 2016, and remounted onto instrument rack (WJ1011) for new exhibit in William James Hall (ninth floor)
FunctionA three-pole, double-throw relay activated with three cams, one for each contact. The cam rotates one position for each pulse, programming the pattern of the three switch contacts.
Historical AttributesOne of many typical modular programming devices used in the late 1950s and early 1960's in B. F. Skinner's laboratory in the basement of Memorial Hall at Harvard University as part of his experiments on operant conditioning and behavioral psychology.
