Operant Conditioning of Canis lupis familiaris That is, clicker training the domestic dog!

This course is 3-fold To learn and understand basic learning theory including: Classical conditioning Operant conditioning Modern Behavior Analysis To understand the behavior of the domestic canine: Behavioral signaling and communication Development of the species and the individual dog Social behavior of the domestic dog, including dog to dog and dog to human interactions To apply basic learning theory through applied behavior analysis (ABA) to: Teach basic obedience skills remediate behavioral issues prepare shelter dogs for adoption

How do we do this? Begin with an overview of learning theory Learn the techniques of positive reinforcement based teaching and Clicker training Begin to interact with our dogs and apply our lecture-based and readings-based knowledge as we assist our dogs in becoming adoption ready!

Let’s start with some basic theory! Classical vs. Operant Conditioning

Clicker training is based on the Science of Operant Conditioning Emerged from area of psychology called Behavior Analysis Experimental Analysis of Behavior Applied Behavior Analysis Both study how living organisms learn about contingencies. ABC’s of behavior. Antecedents: what is/are the setting condition(s)? Behavior: what behavior is emitted? Consequences: what consequences maintain the response?

Defining learning A learned behavior is predictable Learning is……. A relatively permanent change in behavior not due to maturation but to experience and/or practice. A learned behavior is predictable For our class we will concentrate on 2 kinds of learning Classical conditioning is pairing a predictive stimulus with a predicted event: CSUSUR CR You respond because a stimulus signals an upcoming event Do NOT have to respond Operant conditioning: Pairing a consequence with a behavior RC Can add a predictive stimulus: S+: R C Animal MUST engage in the response in order to receive the consequence

Pavlov’s Contribution Ivan Pavlov Russian physiologist: Studied salivation 1901: discovered and wrote about classical conditioning Found that his dogs reacted to both his presence and the time of day for feeding/experimentation Research emerged out of this observation: Measured amount of salivation during baseline: Present food to dogs Measure slobber Then added a predictive stimulus: a Bell Presented the BellFood Measured slobber to see if dogs would begin to slobber to the bell

Labeled each part of these events: Unconditioned stimulus or US: The stimulus that automatically elicited the behavior (usually innate) E.g., the food elicited the slobber Unconditioned response or UR The behavior that is automatically elicited Unlearned; often reflexive Conditioned stimulus or CS: The stimulus that predicts the US Is a learned (thus conditioned) stimulus Conditioned response or CR: The behavior that occurs to the CS Often very similar to the unconditioned response Occurs because the CS predicts the US

Classical Conditioning Procedure

Order of presentation is very important!

The CR does not just suddenly Appear, rather it takes several trials Or sessions to learn the connection Between the CS and the US

Several important characteristics The CR is not always identical to the UR….and even can be opposite. This is called a compensatory response. The CR gets stronger with more pairings. The CR gets weaker if you stop the CS-US pairings…this is called extinction If similar settings occur to the original CS-US setting, even an extinguished CR may reappear: This is called spontaneous recovery. An extinguished CR can be more easily relearned than a new CS-US pairing A CR will generalize to similar CSs, but one can also learn to discriminate to a particular CS.

How can we use CC? The Clicker: Behavior Adjustment Therapy (BAT) Dog performs correct behavior We click Dog gets a treat Clicker becomes associated with food: Click predicts treat! Behavior Adjustment Therapy (BAT) Really just systematic desensitization Dog associates other dogs or persons with emotional distress We REPLACE the emotional distress with positive event OLD learning: OTHER DOG Bad things Bark, lunge, emotional distress We replace this: OTHER DOG Treat/pets/good things

Operant Conditioning: The Law of Effect Thorndike (1911): Animal Intelligence Experimented with cats in a puzzle box Put cats in the box Cats had to figure out how to pull/push/move lever to get out; when out got reward The cats got faster and faster with each trial Law of Effect emerged from this research: When a response is followed by a satisfying state of affairs, that response will increase in frequency.

Skinner’s version of Law of Effect Had two problems with Thorndike’s law: Defining “satisfying state of affairs” Defining “increase” in behavior Rewrote the law to be more specific: When a response is followed by a reinforcer, the probability of occurrence of that response will increase. Used words reinforcer and punisher Idea of reinforcer is strengthening of relation between a response (R) and a reinforce (Sr)

Skinner’s version of Law of Effect Defined reinforcement and punishment: A reinforcer is any stimulus which increases the probability of a response when delivered contingently A punisher is any stimulus which decreases the probability of a response when delivered contingently Also noted could deliver reinforcers and punishers in TWO ways: Add something: positive or + Take away something: negative or -

Reinforcers vs. Punishers Positive vs. Negative Reinforcer = rate of response INCREASES Punisher = rate of response DECREASES Positive: something is ADDED to environment Negative: something is TAKEN AWAY from environment Can make a 4x4 contingency table

Several important characteristics The R gets stronger with R-Sr pairings. The R gets weaker if you stop the R-Sr pairings…BUT it will increase in intensity before it weakens Transitory increase in the rate or responding Extinction induced aggression If similar settings occur to the original R-Sr setting, even an extinguished R may reappear: This is called spontaneous recovery. An extinguished R can be more easily relearned than a new CS-US pairing

More parameters: Generalization can occur: Discrimination can occur Operant response may occur in situations similar to the one in which originally trained Can learn to behavior in many similar settings Discrimination can occur Operant response can be trained to very specific stimuli Only exhibit response under specific situations Can use a cue to teach animal: S+ or SD : contingency in place S- or S : contingency not in place Thus: SD: RSr

Schedules of Reinforcement: Continuous reinforcement: Reinforce every single time the animal performs the response Use for teaching the animal the contingency Problem: Satiation Solution: only reinforce occasionally: PARTIAL Sr Partial reinforcement Can reinforce occasionally based on time Can reinforce occasionally based on amount Can make it predictable or unpredictable

Partial Reinforcement Schedules Fixed Ratio: every nth response is reinforced Fixed interval: the first response after x amount of time is reinforced Variable ratio: on average of every nth response is reinforced Variable interval: the first response after an average of x amount of time is reinforced

Variable ratio and variable interval Cumulative records

Why is all this important? We will be teaching dogs basic obedience and leisure skills We will be using operant conditioning, and more specifically, clicker training and TAGteach Clicker training is the use of a marker to tell the dog when it does the right behavior You watch for the behavior You click when the behavior occurs You REWARD (always) following the click

Clicker Training With clicker training there are several important concepts: We use clicker training to shape new behaviors More than one behavior may occur in order to get the click We will wean the dog off the clicker using the schedules of reinforcement

Dogs! We will have some “resident” lab dogs that will help us learn techniques YOU will be working primarily with rescue dogs (ages 8 weeks to elderly) We have an exciting opportunity to work with Pet Central Helps on Wiley Drive YOUR job is to prepare these dogs for adoption!

Three important class components: During Tuesday lectures we will: Learn the theory of operant conditioning Learn about our organism: the domestic dog During our labs : We will apply our information that we learn in the classroom with each other and with the dogs. We will have some “resident dogs” that we can use for teaching advanced behaviors Deaf and deaf/blind dogs for a challenge Rescue dogs to apply our basic skills Are you ready to do this?