Psychology Shop
The Psychology Shop has been a fixture in the Department of Psychology since the early '70s. However, psychology is a relatively new area of research. To this end, the Psychology Shop plays an important research facilitation role in the department. The Psychology shop is equipped with a paint room, machine shop, electronics area and woodworking room. We are your repair specialists for electronic and non-electronic equipment and are pleased to offer general facilitation and support throughout the department.
Specifically, the Psychology shop researches, quotes, purchases, installs, configuring and maintains psychological research equipment. This equipment includes but is not limited to; commercial amps, meters, distillation equipment, refrigerators/freezers, stereotaxic, microtomes, autoclaves, microscopes, scales and shockers. The equipment also has been constructed and maintained in-house and includes but is not limited to; pigeon operant boxes, chickadee experimental chambers, many mazes and open fields for experimental work on mice, rats, fish and bugs. There are also several human research labs that require human responses in the form of switches, kinesthetic, eye tracking etc.
The shop takes a lead in departmental issues and the constant shuffling of inventory, labs, offices, computers, etc. The staff in the Psychology Shop work daily with professors, students and staff. We are concerned with health and safety and follow up on health and safety audits to ensure compliance. We are active WHMIS and TDG certified. The shop maintains an inventory, tags and surpluses equipment. We are the fire wardens in the department and assist with emergencies and are in touch with the building maintenance people. The shop is involved with warrantee claims and ensures licensing compliance and updates. Outside of the University, the shop has contacts with retailers; Bcom Computers, Simmco, Johnson Plastics, PSTNet, Mplus, TigerDirect, Polycom, Biopac to name a few. Technical information about products and apparatus is provided to staff and students. Logistic information when required and general advice about procedures is common. An extensive library of reference materials including information on the latest electronic and computer equipment is located in the shop.
The Psychology shop has electronic, machine and woodworking tools such as Scopes, VOMS, Sig Gen, Amps, lathe, milling machine, cut-off saw, table saw, bender, breaks, routers, and many other useful hand tools. In addition, we also offer computer projection carts, laptops, scanners, digital video cameras, DVD creation, digital still cameras, color laser printing, overheads, TV/VCR/DVD, video conversions (MPEG, Avi, VHS, DV), cassette and digital recorder, laser pointer, slide projectors, timers and counters, and other academic-related materials.
Shop Technicians
Examples of Apparatus Built in the Shop
Ant Movement
Ants travel and orient themselves over great distances. They were found to orient and move in the direction of the rotating outer ring of strips in an unconscious mechanical fashion. When the apparatus stops the ants returned to random movements. (Eric Legge student project)
Chickadee Behaviour Study
Computer controlled chickadee feeders used in operant chambers to study songbird communication. They are equipped with a several features that present food when desired behaviors are exhibited. (Chris Sturdy Songbird Neuroethology Lab)
Custom Response Keyboard
Custom keyboards are used to measure reaction times in studies that involve human subjects. (Roger Dixon Victoria Longitudinal Study)
Fish Behaviour Study
Fish exhibit behaviors that aid in the understanding of aggression in these long custom tanks. (Pete Hurd Sex and Violence Lab)
Pigeon Aversion Decision Making
Aversion chamber used to study particular characteristics of conditioned learning in pigeons. (Doug Wylie Bird Brains Lab)
Fish Aggression Study
A fish tanks for the study of aggressive behavior toward a false predator or even self-recognition. (Michelle Moscicki student project)
Rat Forced Exercise Stroke Rehab
Stroke recovery may be aided with physical activity. These forced exercise wheel made sure recuperating rats got their workout. (Fred Colbourne Neuroprotection and Neuroplasticity Lab)
Rat Reaching Stroke Rehab
Research on stroke rehabilitation tested the range of motion for recuperating rats. Each step contained a food pellet that the rat attempts to reach.(Fred Colbourne Stroke Neuroprotection and Neuroplasticity Lab)
Pigeon Operant Touch Screen Training
Pigeons practice conditioned learning in touch screen operant chamber. The learning is accelerated when food is presented from automated hopper feeders. (Marcia Spetch Comparative Spatial Cognition Lab)
Rat Stroke Rehab Research
Stroke recovery, coordination and balance are studied using this gear. Healthy rats can traverse it with very few rails in place; a recovering rat finds this task difficult. (Fred Colbourne )