Animal Reinforcement Procedure Essay

This essay will look at the work of two very famous behaviourists. It will consider the differences and similarities as well as give descriptive detail of their actual experiments and see if any contribution was provided to mankind. It will focus on the theory of learning based upon the idea that all behaviors are acquired through conditioning which occurs through interaction with the environment. As this was done by experimenting with animals, it is also necessary to consider the rules and restrictions that are needed to be kept in mind as research ethics applies to any experiments done on any living thing.

The purpose of this study was to determine the type of learning acquisition in dogs that were subjected to three different styles of electric shock. They wanted to determine what method of learning worked the best to avoid a shock for an extended period of time. Each of the three groups of dogs learned escape/avoidance training, however the "escape" group and the "yoked" group gained more training than the normal control group. The "escape" group was taught during their training that touching the side panels during the shock would terminate it. This was repeated 64 times in the harness and the same training was done 10 more times in the shuttle box, 24 hours later. The "yoked"

Burrhus Frederic (B. F.) Skinner, an American behavioral psychologist who believed the idea that human free will was an illusion and any human action was the result of the consequences of that same action, developed an experiment to verify if superstition was present in pigeons. Skinner’s beliefs led him to conduct this research experiment which ultimately declared him as one of the top psychologists of his era. Skinner believed that the best way to understand behavior was to look at the causes of an action and its consequences. He called this approach operant conditioning.

Don’t shoot the dog!: The new art of teaching and training by Karen Pryor is an informative book that combines both hands on experience with conventional techniques to communicate and clarify the steps of the training process. The content in the book highlights the behavior analysis field and the role of reinforcement, while also expanding on the material presented in class. Pryor, an accomplished writer, behavioral biologist, and groundbreaking dolphin trainer, does an excellent job of introducing the main concepts, which creates an easy-to-follow progression of development throughout the book (Pryor, p. 189). Pryor also presents the terminology using language suitable for novices and those with behavioral experience, such that the book is appealing on many levels with material that applies to a variety of situations to achieve a desired response.

Classical conditioning is often associated with physiologist Ivan Pavlov’s experiment with the salivating dog (Hutchinson, 2015). This experiment focused on conditioning the dog to associate food with the bell while salivating, and eventually salivates when the bell is rung even without the presence of food. Operant conditioning theory is changed behavior as the result of a reinforcement (Hutchinson, 2015). In our society, we associate positive reinforcements with compliments, smiles, high-fives in order to encourage a behavior more. Negative reinforcement involves jail, detention, and grounding, and this is to stop a behavior from continuing. A cognitive social learning theory states that behavior can be learned through observations, beliefs, expectations, and imitation of others (Hutchinson, 2015). A major difference between cognitive social learning theory and the others, is a lack of manipulation to encourage the individual to follow through with a behavior. Rather, cognitive social learning theories suggest that a change in thinking can ultimately result in a change in behavior (Hutchinson, 2015).

Animal Intelligence Intelligence is defined as the ability to acquire and apply knowledge. Psychologists have exploited this concept in many ways to try and determine whether non-human animals are capable of intelligence. From social learning it is logical to assume that, since non-human animals are able to both acquire and use new behaviours, they must be intelligent in some way. Heyes stated that there are 6 types of behaviour which suggest intelligence. These are imitation, self-recognition, social relationship formation, role-taking, deception and perspective taking.

The author of “What Shamu Taught Me About a Happy Marriage,” gave me the impression she was a strange person. For starters, she used animal training techniques on her husband. Amy Sutherland was very innovative by trying this technique, but it was very strange and almost obtrusive by doing this. Although, this essay was insightful about the similarities between human and animal behavior. My intellectual curiosity about human behavior opposed to animal behavior skyrocketed after reading this section. Why do animals and human react the same after being put through training, unknowingly? What causes both species to act the same?

Positive reinforcement strengthens a behavior by providing a consequence an individual finds rewarding. Negative reinforcement strengthens behavior because it stops or removes an unpleasant experience. Punishment is defined as the opposite of reinforcement since it is designed to weaken or eliminate a response rather than to increase it.

The purpose of this report is the RSPCA has assignment me to create a training manual to be given to people who adopt cats and dogs. The animal I’ve chosen to do for this task is a dog. The creation of this training manual requires a complete understanding of each theory and process of learning which includes providing an informative report with clear instructions for owners to use when training their new pets.

In addition to using reinforcement, Sutherland (November, 2013) spoke about how trainers build off the animal’s naturalistic behavior to train new behaviors. As behavior analysts we know Sutherland is referring to a procedure called autoshaping, which combines both respondent and operant conditioning. Autoshaping is when an organism produces biological characteristics that can then be reinforced (Pierce & Cheney, 2013). Autoshaping shapes the behaviors that an organism is born with by adding reinforcement contingencies. Sutherland’s analysis of her experience at the exotic zoo demonstrates that principles of behavior analysis can be used and explained without using behavior analytic terms to explain the procedures.

Animal assisted therapy is rapidly becoming a new means for therapeutic medicine. Therapy dogs are being implemented to help aid those with diseases, disorders, or those suffering from stress and anxiety; however, many are questioning if this therapy method is a proper program in terms of both effectiveness and ethics. The main scope of this research paper is limited to sources collected within the past ten years. Although my paper is not necessarily scientifically based it is important to use resources that are somewhat recent in order to heighten their credibility on the topic. In addition, the sources I use pertain to therapy dogs helping those facing mental illness, chronic disease, and high stress situations. These categories are taken into consideration because the roles of therapy dogs are commonly used in those areas. Furthermore, my sources are not limited in location. Therapy dogs are being put into practice globally as another tactic for therapeutic sessions.

A biological constraint in learning theory refers to an inherited tendency to learn and create certain relationships, and it has been said that some species are much more readily than others in learning such behaviour. Therefore it involves the factors which make populations resistant to evolutionary change and the animals biological make up. In this paper I will attempt to explain the bases of the original biological approaches to learning in classical conditioning in humans and animals, make comparison between animals and the association of fears

It is often said that a dog is a man’s best friend. In the last 14,000 years, dogs have accompanied man by helping him hunt, guard, and protect. In our modern world, dogs help us combat in war, search-and-rescue, guide the blind, deaf, discapacitated, rehabilitate patients in therapy, aid law enforcement, and are part of our family as beloved pets (Coren). Although canine superstars such as Lassie, Old Yeller, and Rin Tin Tin portray the perfect dog we all want in our lives, these ideals are far from the truth. Many first-time dog owners expect dogs to know behaviors such as how to walk on a leash, not bite, not destroy the house, and in addition to many others. In reality, dogs must be trained on what their handler wants them to do. It is

Animal experimentation by scientists can be cruel and unjust, but at the same time it can provide long term benefits for humanity. Animals used in research and experiments have been going on for 2,000 years and keep is going strong. It is a widely debated about topic all over the world. Some say it is inhuman while others say it’s for the good of human kind. There are many different reasons why people perform experiments and why others total disagree with it.

As a dog owner, I know how important it is to teach your pets how to behave. Yet, it is important to understand how learning works so that you can develop a strategy to properly and quickly teach your dog. The example of training a dog to roll over is a great model for analysing the aspects of learning involved with this process. Understanding how operant conditioning works and how to reinforce a desired response to that stimuli will help trainers effectively teach dogs. Psychologists, such as Myers (2013), define learning as the process of acquiring new knowledge and behaviors. In this case we are specifically discussing the acquisition of a certain response to a stimulus. The stimulus is the trainer’s command and the desired behavior is the dog to roll over onto his back. These ideas all are based on Edward L. Thorndike’s principle called the law of effect, wherein he stated that behaviors followed by a positive outcomes are more likely to increase in probability. These are all important components of the learning process, especially on the level of training a dog or instilling a simple behavior.