Using strawberry tree WorkbenchMac and workbench PC software for data acquisition and control in the animal learning laboratory

Workbench (developed by Strawberry Tree Incorporated) is a commercially available software package for Macintosh or PC which is designed for industrial automation, process control, and data acquisition. Workbench provides a graphical environment in which programs are constructed by joining icons with connecting wires on the computer screen. In recent years, the author and his colleagues have used Workbench extensively to develop programs for the control of experiments in animal learning, psychopharmacology, and behavioral neuroscience. The principal advantage of Workbench is that sophisticated programs can be quickly written and modified by persons with little knowledge of classical computer programming techniques. Programs developed with Workbench provide on-screen charts, alarms, and meters for extensive user feedback during the running of experiments. Workbench operates in conjunction with Strawberry Tree interface cards and terminal panels for Macintosh or PC, allowing an integrated hardware/software package to be bought off the shelf. This article describes the hardware and software elements of Workbench and gives a step by step description of an example WorkbenchMac program for the operant conditioning of laboratory rats.