how animals learn

Question 1

what is the effectiveness of animal learning dictated by

Answer 1

how they feel
what they experience
their decision-making ability
specific behavioural problems

Question 2

how animals learn

Answer 2

classical conditioning
counterconditioning
desensitization
sensitization habituation
operant conditioning

Question 3

classical conditioning

Answer 3

association of one stimulus with another stimulus that already creates a response - pavlovs dog

Question 4

T or F: both positive and negative classical conditioning can exist

Answer 4

true

Question 5

are leashes an example of classical conditioning? if so, how?

Answer 5

yes, leashes are an example of classical conditioning. dogs aren’t born knowing what leashes are, they have been conditioned into associating them with going outside

Question 6

before conditioning - negative classical conditioning

Answer 6

bottle of pills rattling = no response
bitter pill in animal’s mouth = salivation and head shaking

Question 7

during conditioning - negative classical conditioning

Answer 7

bottle of pills rattling = bitter pill in animal’s mouth = salivation and head shaking

Question 8

result of conditioning - negative classical conditioning

Answer 8

bottle of pills rattling = salivation and head shaking

Question 9

counterconditioning and densitization

Answer 9

replaces an existing conditioned response
desensitization uses very gradually increased planned exposures

Question 10

example of counterconditioning

Answer 10

if a dog runs away from nail clippers, counterconditioning would include changing the conditioned fear response with a positive association (like getting treats)

Question 11

counterconditioning and desensitization requires what?

Answer 11

a thorough plan and desensitization ladder

Question 12

process of counterconditioning/desensitization

Answer 12

slowly start by exposing animals to stimuli that’s mild enough to cause fear - reward them for sitting
move up the ladder
save high value treats for these retraining sessions

Question 13

what do animals learn with counterconditioning

Answer 13

expect rewards when exposed to stimulus which decreases the stimulus activity
associate previous fear stimuli with positive interactions

Question 14

T or F: in order for counterconditioning to work, the fear stimuli must be gradually presented in order of least to highest to avoid traumatic association

Answer 14

true

Question 15

sensitization

Answer 15

intensity of response to same stimulus gets stronger time
a cat who needs daily ear drops can become sensitized

Question 16

example of sensitization

Answer 16

a cat needs daily ear drops
day1 - crouches/shakes head during treatment
day2 - crouches/growls
day3 - crouches/growls and runs to hide
day4 - crouchses/growls and strikes
day5/6 - hides at the sight of owner even if theres no eye drops

Question 17

habituation

Answer 17

the intensity of response to the same stimulus decreases over time

Question 18

example of habituation

Answer 18

move from country to big city = animal notices new stimulus, intially scared = overtime they acclimate to noise and do not react

Question 19

another example of habituation

Answer 19

puppy being given a collar for the first time scratches at it for a while until used to them

Question 20

operant conditioning

Answer 20

“instrumental conditioning”
focuses on voluntary behaviour, where the animal makes choices
consequences drive future behaiour

Question 21

2 categories that consequences fall into - operant conditioning

Answer 21

reinforcement - leads to more of behaviour
punishment - leads to less of behaviour

Question 22

2 categories in reinforcement and punishment - operant conditioning

Answer 22

positive means adding something
negative means removing something

Question 23

4 subsequent possibilities - operant conditioning

Answer 23

positive reinforcement
negative reinforcement
negative punishment
positive punishment

Question 24

operant conditioning - positive reinforcement

Answer 24

desired behaviour occurs, is rewarded
relies on pleasant interactions, predictability and trust
a dog is praised when given a treat for sitting, dog will learn to get faster at sitting

Question 25

operant conditioning - negative reinforcement

Answer 25

aversive stimulus is removed when animal does desired behaviour
a dog’s hind end is pushed to force the dog into a sitting position and released once sat
-behaviour is negatively reinforced by removal of pressure

Question 26

what is the problem with negative reinforcement - operant conditioning

Answer 26

adding something unpleasant or fearful to the environment, only to remove it when the desired behaviour happens is ethically questionable (think of parents who use the threat of coal for christmas)

Question 27

operant conditioning - negative punishment

Answer 27

pleasant stimulus is removed when the animal does undesirable behaviour
dog jumps up, you turn back and step away, behaviour made something good go away

Question 28

what is the problem with negative punishment - operant conditioning

Answer 28

this method doesn’t teach correct behaviour, it just stops undersiable behaviour for a short amount of time, this can cause frustration and confusion

Question 29

operant conditioning - positive punishment

Answer 29

aversive stimulus is added so animal stops behaviour
must be 100% consistent and immediate for the animal to even associate the consequence with behaviour
animals learn what not to do but dont learn what to do
fear suppresses learning
damages the human-animal bond

Question 30

problem with positive punishment - oparent conditioning

Answer 30

if a dog is punished when they return home after running away, they will not return as easily next time
getting mad at a dog for bringing a ball back with cause them to stop bringing it back
owner yells “ouch” after being bit, biting happens but less often