Staff Training Program Desensitization: Staff Training Program
DESENSITIZATION Definition The process of changing an animal’s perception of a stimulus from positive or negative to neutral or no value Time governs desensitization (poor value) Punishing SENSITIZED (neutral) DESENSITIZED (good value) Reinforcing VALUABLE
DESENSITIZATION Notes to Remember SD’s and reinforcers can be desensitized through repetition The Novelty Effect can determine the efficiency of desensitization
DESENSITIZATION Sensitization The intensifying of an organism’s response to stimuli with repeated presentations of that stimulus Sensitization moves the value of a stimulus towards the negative end (neutral) DESENSITIZED (poor value) Punishing SENSITIZED (good value) Reinforcing VALUABLE
Capability of Desensitization The Capability of Desensitization depends on three factors Current Context Motivational State Individual History
DESENSITIZATION 3 Methods Habituation (Flooding): Exposure to situations that elicit high levels of anxiety until there is an adaptation to the situation No food involved Passive Desensitization: Exposure to a stimulus over time, approximating it closer Active Desensitization: Exposure to a stimulus over time, combined with primary reinforcement Food involved
DESENSITIZATION Important Note If you want the animal to be completely desensitized to an object the animal must return to baseline behavior prior to moving forward to the following step
DESENSITIZATION Summary Desensitization is an important factor in any training that we do Every new stimulus requires some level of desensitization The more stimuli an animal is desensitized to the quicker they will adapt to new situations; which in turn will decrease stress This may be a good place to tell a story, discuss, or show (live demo or video) an example of desensitization training.