Rat Basketball

Come meet our players and learn all about operant and classical conditioning as you watch two rats learn to play basketball—no, we aren’t kidding. Check our daily schedule for demonstrations occurring during your visit.

The Science Museum uses classical and operant conditioning to train the rat players.

• Classical conditioning is teaching the rats to respond to the buzzer used in training. The buzzer sounds when the rat has done something correct.
• Operant conditioning is rewarding the rats for taking the correct action—during the game they get a treat for each basket.

About Live Demonstrations

Demonstrations are explorations where participants watch and engage with a Science Museum educator who showcases amazing scientific experiments to guests.