Learning Theory

Question 1

Classical Conditioning

Answer 1

the learned association between two events where a neutral stimulus elicits an unconditioned response. Ian Pavlov’s dogs drooling when assistants entered the lab in anticipation of food.

Question 2

Conditioned Emotional Response (CER)

Answer 2

any negative emotional response, typically fear or anxiety, that becomes associated with a neutral stimulus as a result of classical conditioning. Also known as Conditioned Fear Response (CFR) Classical conditioning influences emotional states. It is possible to counter condition an emotional response but can be time consuming.

Question 3

Operant Conditioning

Answer 3

Learning by association to the consequence that follows the behavior. Behavior is a function of the consequences. B.F. Skinner

Question 4

Difference between operant and classical conditioning

Answer 4

classical forms an association between 2 stimuli, operant forms and association between a behavior and a consequence.

Question 5

Law of effect

Answer 5

Edward Thorndike, responses that are made just prior to a pleasant/satisfying event are more likely to be repeated.

Question 6

The 4 Stages of Learning

Answer 6

1. Acquisition (acquiring)
2. Fluency (automatic)
3. Generalization (application)
4. Maintenance (always)

Question 7

The 4 D’s

Answer 7

Distance
duration
different environment
delivery of reward.

Question 8

The Law of Parsimony

Answer 8

When 2 competing theories make the same predictions, the one that is simpler is more likely to be accurate. Also known as Occam’s razor.

Question 9

Behavior modification

Answer 9

the use of techniques to decrease or increase certain behaviors of the animal.

Question 10

Pam Reid’s Categories of Canine Behavior

Answer 10

Useful, Critical, Nuisance, Dangerous

Question 11

Antecedent

Answer 11

any stimulus present in the environment before the behavior occurs. Can be used to tell the dog to do a behavior.

Question 12

Behavior

Answer 12

anything the dog does.

Question 13

Consequence

Answer 13

anything that happens to the dog as a result of the behavior. Can be good, bad, or nothing at all.

Question 14

The behavior you are training should be

Answer 14

Observable, measurable, and reproducible

Question 15

Reinforcement

Answer 15

Increases the likelihood of a behavior happening again. Anything the dog finds rewarding. Treats, toys, tug, praise, etc.

Question 16

Punishment

Answer 16

Decreases the likelihood of a behavior happening again. Anything the dog finds aversive. Collar correction, time out, verbal correction, special pressure, removal of reinforcer, etc.

Question 17

How to assess a behavior

Answer 17

Predictability, frequency, and intensity

Question 18

Differential Reinforcement of Other Behavior DRO

Answer 18

Reinforcing a behavior that is anything but the particular behavior you want to decrease.

Question 19

Differential Reinforcement of Incompatible Behavior DRI

Answer 19

Reinforcing a behavior that is incompatible with the behavior you want to decrease.

Question 20

Luring

Answer 20

showing the animal something it wants, usually food, and using it to encourage the animal to move in the desired way.

Question 21

Shaping

Answer 21

the reinforcement of successive approximations of a desired behavior. Thus, my training with George consisted of marking and reinforcing first walking closer and closer to the hoop, then raising up his head, then touching the hoop with his beak, then holding onto the hoop for a micro second, etc.

Question 22

Chaining behaviors

Answer 22

a behavior is broken down and each component is taught separately in small, sequential steps. Each behavior/step performed serves as a cue for the next behavior.

Question 23

Backward Chaining

Answer 23

complex behavior broken down in steps and is taught by starting with the last step and working backward from there. The learning is often easier because the newly acquired step is immediately followed by an already learned and comfortable step. An application of the Premack Principle.

Question 24

Premack Principle

Answer 24

A high probability behavior (something the dog loves to do) can be used as a reward for a low probability behavior. Example: Back chaining

Question 25

Cue

Answer 25

antecedent, stimulus, command, signal, or request. Something that comes before a behavior and tell the dog to do the behavior.

Question 26

Discriminative Stimulus

Answer 26

a conditioned stimulus or antecedent event which signals a certain response will be reinforced.

Question 27

Overshadowing

Answer 27

when the most important detail in the environment (from the animal’s point of view) covers up other details that are present.

Question 28

Blocking

Answer 28

a previously learned cue conflicts with a newly learned cue. If they are presented simultaneously the previously learned cue is said to be ______ the new cue.

Question 29

Salience

Answer 29

something that has noticeable significance to the animal

Question 30

Stimulus Control

Answer 30

a dog responding correctly to a cue when asked. Not doing the behavior if not cued. Not doing the behavior in response to another cue. Not offering a different behavior in response to the cue.

Question 31

Discrimination

Answer 31

being able to tell relevant stimuli from all other stimuli

Question 32

Generalization

Answer 32

Being able to perform a behavior when any element of the context changes.

Question 33

Superstitious Behavior

Answer 33

coincidental learning of some irrelevant behavior along with a desired one. Usually as a result of accidental reinforcement.

Question 34

Targeting

Answer 34

teaching your dog to touch a designated body part to a designated location. Nose targeting is most commonly taught, but it can also be trained with a front or hind paw, a hip or shoulder, even an ear or tail. Targeting often starts with nose targeting which a trainer can then use to teach general targeting. This will allow you to teach behaviors by using your hand as a target instead of using luring. Behaviors such as loose leash walking and even recall can be obtained with targeting. Another popular technique is using a mat or platform for full body targeting, often referred to as “place.”

Question 35

Capturing

Answer 35

observing the animal and rewarding a spontaneously offered/emitted behavior.

Question 36

Molding/Modeling

Answer 36

physically manipulation of the dog into the desired position. Opposition reflex of the dog may work against you. Physical touch can also distract the dog from what it is supposed to be learning.

Question 37

Prompting

Answer 37

similar to luring, except the animal can’t see the food. For example, I held my hand (the one that always delivered food) above the hoop to encourage George’s head to move upward toward the hoop. I marked each approximation with “Good,” and then fed from the hand that did the prompting. It is more effective to move one’s body in a way to encourage the desired action, rather than let the food itself be the focus. That way the animal pays more attention to what he is doing in relation to the environment.

Question 38

Fading a lure or prompt

Answer 38

One method for fading a lure is to remove the lure in small steps, while keeping in mind not to make things harder and harder for the dog as he succeeds. To do this, lure the behavior 3-5 times with a treat (a nice smelly one) in your hand. Then pretend to get a treat but keep your hand empty. Lure the behavior with your “pretend treat” and click or say “yes” as the dog does the behavior. Next, open your hand to reveal that no treat was inside and then as quickly as possible get a treat for your dog and feed it to your dog. The fact that he was following an empty hand may come as a shock to your dog, so the next time you lure the behavior you should go back a step and lower criteria by using the food lure again. You don’t want to raise criteria too quickly or your dog could become frustrated. Continue to lure your dog with a treat, and then without a treat, and also with the smell of the treat in your hand so that your dog doesn’t get confused and stop following your luring hand gesture. Once you’ve trained about 10 behaviors using this method, your dog should start to become an expert in weaning off the lure.
A benefit of using luring to train behaviors is that you can turn the luring gesture into the hand signal that you will ultimately use to cue the behavior. For example, to teach the cue for spin, you can start out by moving your hand in a big circle with no treat, then in a circle slightly higher from the ground, then a smaller circle while bending over less. Finally, you can fade the gesture into a tiny finger-flick or shoulder-movement in the direction you want the dog to turn. You can then add a verbal cue for the behavior, if you wish. When you are changing the luring gesture into the hand signal, make sure you don’t just keep increasing difficulty, especially if your dog is new to this process. Instead, lower criteria and raise criteria on the average, over time. For example, you could do a big hand gesture, then 3 smaller ones, then a big one again, then a small one, then a smaller one, then a bigger one. This helps the dog feel that things aren’t just getting harder and harder. In other words, if the exercise is always getting harder and more confusing the dog can lose interest.

Question 39

Flooding

Answer 39

to expose the dog to the stimulus that triggers the unwanted reaction at a close proximity and through a prolonged time of exposure. High risk of fallout and generally not ethical or least intrusive minimally aversive. Example: Take a gun shy dog to a gun range.

Question 40

Positive Reinforcement

Answer 40

Adding something good. Increases likelihood of behavior happening again. Example: Dog sits, gets tasty treat.

Question 41

Negative Reinforcement

Answer 41

Removing something, the removal is reinforcing to the animal. Increases the likelihood of behavior happening again. Example: Upward leash pressure applied, when dog sits the pressure is released.

HH Definition: Contingently withdraw an aversive antecedent stimulus to increase the probability that the right behavior will occur.

Question 42

Positive Punishment

Answer 42

Adding something unpleasant. Decreases the likelihood of behavior happening again. Example: Dog jumps up on person and a collar correction is given.

HH Definition: Contingently deliver an aversive consequence to reduce the probability that the problem behavior will occur.

Question 43

Negative Punishment

Answer 43

Removing something, the removal is punishing to the animal. Decreases the likelihood of behavior happening again. Example: Dog jumps on person and person leaves the room.

HH Definition: Contingently withdraw a positive reinforcer to reduce the probability that the problem behavior will occur.

Question 44

Extinction

Answer 44

In Operant Conditioning it is the procedure of withholding the reinforcers that maintain behavior after the behavior has already been taught and regularly reinforced. In classical conditioning it is the procedure of repeatedly presenting a conditioned stimulus without the unconditioned stimulus so the learned stimulus loses the power to elict the conditioned response.

HH Definition: Permanently remove the maintaining reinforcer to suppress the behavior or reduce it to baseline levels.

Question 45

Extinction Burst

Answer 45

the phenomenon of behavior temporarily or briefly getting worse, not better, when a previously rewarded behavior is not rewarded.

Question 46

Spontaneous Recovery

Answer 46

behavior affected by extinction recurring when the trigger is presented again. Also know as transient increase in behavior.

Question 47

Counter conditioning

Answer 47

Process where normal defense reactions elicited by aversive stimulus, are modified by association with a positive reinforcer. Also known as active desensitization.

Question 48

Desensitization

Answer 48

Exposing an animal to a stimulus using time or experience to drive the stimulus value toward neutral. A process of changing an animal’s perception of an event to a neutral perception.

Question 49

Habituation

Answer 49

the lessening or disappearance of a response with repeated presentations of the stimulus. Also known as passive desensitization.

Question 50

Sensitization

Answer 50

intensifying of an animal’s response to stimuli over repeated presentations of the stimulus.

Question 51

Continuous Reinforcement Schedule

Answer 51

the desired behavior is reinforced every single time it occurs. This schedule is best used during the initial stages of learning to create a strong association between the behavior and response and is most effective when trying to teach a new behavior.

Question 52

Fixed Ratio Reinforcement Schedule-

Answer 52

a schedule of reinforcement where a response is reinforced only after a specified number of responses. Essentially, the subject provides a set number of responses and then the trainer offers a reward. One advantage of this type of schedule is that it produces a high, steady rate of responding with only a brief pause after the delivery of the reinforcer. For example, it might be the delivery of a reward for every fifth response. After the subject responds to the stimulus five times, a reward is delivered.

Question 53

Intermittent (Variable) Ratio Reinforcement Schedule

Answer 53

reinforcement is delivered after a varying number of correct responses.

Question 54

Fixed Interval Schedule of Reinforcement

Answer 54

reinforcing a behavior after a certain interval of time has passed. The interval of time is always the same. In a 3-second schedule, the first response after three seconds have passed will be reinforced, but no response made before the three seconds have passed will be reinforced.

Question 55

Intermittent (Variable) Interval Reinforcement Schedule

Answer 55

reinforcing a behavior after a variable interval of time has passed. The interval of time is not always the same but centers around some average length of time. Example: In a 3-second schedule, the time of each interval changes but still ends up at a 3 second average. After an animal learns the schedule, the rate of behavior tends to be steadier than with a fixed interval schedule.

Question 56

Differential Reinforcement Schedule

Answer 56

type of variable reinforcement schedule where only the “best” responses of the behavior are reinforced.

Question 57

Limited Hold

Answer 57

variation of differential reinforcement. The reward is based on the speed/latency of the animal’s response. Example: If the dog does not sit within 3 seconds, reinforcement is withheld.

Question 58

Jackpot

Answer 58

an unusually large or valuable unexpected reward

Question 59

Secondary Reinforcer/Conditioned Reinforcer

Answer 59

event that marks a behavior as rewardable and promises the delivery of a reward in the near future. Example: Clicker, marker word

Question 60

Deprivation

Answer 60

Reducing availability of or access to a reinforcer. Can cause anxiety, frustration, and/or aggression.

Question 61

Differential Reinforcement of Alternative Behavior

Answer 61

Reinforce an acceptable replacement behavior and remove the maintaining reinforcer for the problem behavior.