Jean Donaldson - Training watch, recall and Premack Flashcards
What is important to keep in mind when starting to train recall?
Very expensive behavior! Dog is free to explore so many other exciting things.
Which mechanism should you use when starting out to teach recall and why?
Bc it’s very expensive behavior, start with classical conditioning! Cue predicts huge party.
What is essential to remember when using classical conditioning?
No criteria; no required behavior (comes later).
How would you set up the process of starting up with recall training?
Enormous inter-trial latency: Few reps a day, random times. Choose novel recall cue. Don’t dilute contingency (the cue). Load bait pouch, wear around house without dispensing. Cue, wait few seconds, invite to fridge for preprepared party.
Why does Jean say: Don’t conflate building with using.
Don’t use recall. Build it first. Otherwise, it becomes a bad predictor for the party.
Why is “watch” a useful behavior to teach your dog?
Useful if tends to lunge toward things, or if want dog to attend to you.
David Premack, psychologist: Why si he relevant here?
Reframed positive reinforcement from involving a thing (food) to behavior (eating). High-probability behavior, can be used to boost lower-probability behavior in frequency.
Why is Premack’s principle counterintuitive?
Life teaches, to get things move toward them, not turn away.
What is a Premack watch?
Exercise where dog is expected to look away from food to be allowed to eat food. Look away from food (Low-probability behavior). Eating = High-probability behavior. Prompt with voice - Pay looking away/eye contact asap.
What is the premack rule?
First (low probability), Then (High probability) rule. Ex. Food vs eye contact: Will choose “wrong” in beginning!
“If first eat broccoli, then ice cream”.
What is a good side effect of Premack exercises?
Dog learns impulse ctr.
Compare Skinner’s principle to Premack’s.
Rather than: “Fetch games are a reinforcer” (Skinner) - “Playing fetch is high-probability behavior.”
What is the core of good dog training?
“If-then” = Contingency.
What is Inter-trial latency (ITL)?
Interval between repetitions. Best trainers have very short ITLs.
What is pavlovian/classical/respondent conditioning?
Learn predictive relationships in environment. Learn patterns: what leads to what.
How is pavlovian conditioing different from operant?
No way of manipulating of what will happen. Different from operant conditioning, can affect consequences with behavior.
What is the side effect of pavlovian conditioning?
Conditioned emotional response!
How can we teach a dog to develop good feelings about something?
Use Pavlovian conditioning learn to like things, by having these things predict other, fabulous things. Develop CER to a stimulus.
What is Premack-proofed?
Learned best strategy to get some of the distraction is to respond to cues. Distraction brought under stop-start trainer control = turned into reinforcer.
When should you start using the recall cue in recall training?
When visibly brightens up and/or salivates on cue.
