What’s That I Fear? Kathy Sdao, MA, ACAAB

Bite-threshold model Nick was in a shelter. He bit a man & was scheduled for euthanasia. Nick would likely bite if a man stepped near him. Freeze Bark Snap Bite Men Alcohol Dim light Feet ???

A different example Dusty is skittish. Noises make her nervous. Her owners don’t take her in public often. Kids Thunder Cars Crowds Yawn Freeze Snap Panic Dusty may panic in a crowd during a storm.

Identifying triggers  Playing the game “Clue” “Colonel Mustard in the library with a pipe” Nick: “near a man who’s had alcohol, stepping over him, in dim light”  Collecting data “ Help for your Fearful Dog ” by Nicole Wilde (pp )  Sensory limitations: Triggers may be imperceptible to us

A  B  C = the conditioning of operants = any procedure in which a behavior is made stronger or weaker by its consequences Operant (or Skinnerian) conditioning

Classical (or Pavlovian) conditioning Forms an association between 2 stimuli: Stimulus 1 has no intrinsic meaning = Conditional Stimulus (CS) Stimulus 2 has intrinsic meaning = Unconditional Stimulus (US) Animal’s behavior is a reflex CS + US  B (reflex)

Effie & buzzing insects A  B (reflex)  Trembling, panting, cowering, fleeing

Classical Conditioning 1: Habituation =  intensity or probability of a reflex resulting from repeated exposure to an eliciting stimulus x many repetitions Less trembling, panting, etc 

Classical Conditioning 2: Flooding = presenting a fear-evoking stimulus (trigger) at full intensity for a prolonged exposure, until fearful response terminates  Eventually… less trembling, panting, etc??

Classical Conditioning 3: Systematic desensitization = repeatedly presenting a fear-evoking stimulus (trigger) at low intensity until animal reacts without fear, then slightly increasing intensity & repeating the process, over & over until animal is comfortable with full-strength trigger = graded exposure or gradual habituation

Systematic desensitization  No trembling, panting, etc x many reps 1) x many reps  No trembling, panting, etc 2) 3) x many reps  No trembling, panting, etc

Classical Conditioning 4: Classical extinction = repeatedly presenting a conditioned stimulus without the unconditioned stimulus ≈ desensitization CS alone (no US) x many repetitions weakened reflex 

Classical Conditioning 5: Classical counter-conditioning = repeatedly pairing a fear-evoking stimulus (trigger) with a stimulus that elicits a contrary motivational state (e.g., eating, playing, relaxing), creating a positive emotional reaction to the stimulus Replaces anxious emotion with pleasant emotion

Classical counter-conditioning  x many repetitions  “yippee!”

Classical Conditioning 6: Desensitization & Counter-conditioning “the breaking down of neurotic anxiety-response habits, employing a physiological state incompatible with anxiety to inhibit the anxiety response to a stimulus that evokes it weakly, repeating the exposure until the stimulus loses completely its anxiety-provoking ability” Wolpe J & Lazarus AA (1966) Behavior therapy techniques. Pergamon Press

Desensitization & Counter-conditioning 1)  “yippee” x many  2) 3) x many  “yippee”  x many  “yippee” 

Classical-conditioning tips 1) Don’t create competing conditional stimuli 2) Don’t conducting rhythmic trials 3) Don’t use weak unconditional stimuli 4) Get the order of events correct 5) Avoid extinction: trigger without US afterward 6) Maintain contingency: trigger precedes US

Operant Conditioning 1: Counter-commanding = after animal perceives a fear-evoking stimulus (trigger), trainer cues animal to do a specific behavior incompatible with fearful response Often a precursor to operant counter-conditioning

Counter-commanding ( = counter-cueing )  “ fetch! ”  x many repetitions R+ dog fetches 

Operant Conditioning 2: Operant counter-conditioning = trainer reinforces a new specific behavior, incompatible with fearful response, performed after animal perceives a fear-evoking stimulus ≈ Differential Reinforcement of Incompatible behavior (DRI) Replaces anxious behavior with relaxed or confident behavior Trigger becomes S d (cue) for new behavior

Operant counter-conditioning only (no cue) fetches  only (no cue) relaxes tail   or R+

Operant Conditioning 3: Clicker training = force-free operant conditioning that uses an auditory event marker as a conditioned reinforcer to shape new behavior topographies by differential reinforcement of successive approximations

Operant Conditioning 4: Constructional Aggression Treatment CAT is the use of R - to shape friendly behavior in dogs who behave aggressively to strangers Kellie Snider & Dr. Jesus Rosales-Ruiz, University of North Texas BAT = Behavior Adjustment Training Grisha Stewart, Ahimsa Dog Training in Seattle /

Operant conditioning tips 1) Use strong reinforcers 2) Don’t expect too much “good” behavior in presence of a trigger 3) Keep rate of reinforcement high 4) Don’t poison your cues or your marker 5) Prevent animal from rehearsing anxious behaviors in real life

Thank you!