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with a conditioned reinforcer (a light) that came on after every 400 button presses, the chimps were much more motivated and pauses rarely lasted longer than 5 minutes. Dogged by Science C l i c ke r training is relatively new to dog training, and tradition and legend govern many users, rather than real science. In another study, chimps were required to Fortunately, conditioned reinforcement has Animals and press a button 125 times to earn a token. A received a plethora of research attention by people do token was a conditioned reinforcer because it learning theorists. Sometimes esoteric, always remarkable things, could be traded for food. In this experiment, fascinating, this research provides insight even though their the chimps had to collect 50 tokens before and understanding into how best to use performance is collecting a food reward (that computes to conditioned reinforcement. All it takes is a bit maintained 6250 button presses for each piece of food!). of trust to extrapolate that the complexities almost solely One group of chimps was required to insert and nuances of conditioned reinforcement in by conditioned each token right after earning it and a food carefully controlled laboratory environments reinforcement. reward popped out after 50 tokens had tallied is directly relevant to clicker training in the up. A second group of chimps was able to hold real world. My goal in reviewing the scientific their tokens until they collected all 50, then literature here is to confirm a few conventions, they inserted them one by one. Incredibly, debunk a myth or two, and reveal some only the chimps that could hold their tokens fascinating discoveries about the versatility were willing to work that hard. It seems the of clicker training. My overall take-home reinforcing value of the token was sufficient message is that training with conditioned to maintain this level of responding only when the chimps could reinforcement is intensely powerful. Our dogs are capable of actually hold them. I’m guessing that agility ribbons probably learning hugely complex associations provided we capitalize on function for us much the same as the tokens for the chimps—if their abilities. Using conditioned reinforcement, like the clicker, is we received no recognition at weekend trials but had to wait for one way to do this. If you are already a devoted clicker trainer, start the title certificates to come in the mail, I bet there would be fewer playing outside the conventional box and your dog’s thinking of us addicted to this sport! Animals and people do remarkable powers will likewise expand. If you have yet to experiment with things, even though their performance is maintained almost clicker training, what are you waiting for? Open the door to solely by conditioned reinforcement. communication with your dog! D Dr. Pamela Reid is a certified applied animal behaviorist who received her Ph.D. in Psychology with a specialization in animal learning and behavior from the University of Toronto. Now the Director of the ASPCA Animal Behavior Center in Illinois, Pam lectures on animal behavior, learning theory, and agility training. She writes articles for both professional journals and popular magazines and is the author of the acclaimed book, Excel-erated Learning! Explaining (in plain English) How Dogs Learn and How Best to Teach Them (James & Kenneth Publishers 1996). Pam’s success in agility and flyball shows in her present teammate, Border Terrier/Border Collie mix, Eejit, TM-Platinum, ADCH, FbMCH, a two-time USDAA Steeplechase Champion, DAM Regional Champion, and multiple Top Ten finisher. Pam can be reached at pamr@aspca.org. References Alferink, LA, Crossman, EK, & Cheney, CD. (1973). Control of responding by a conditioned reinforcer in the presence of free food. Animal Learning & Behavior, 1, 38-40. Autor, SM (1969). The strength of conditioned reinforcers as a function of frequency and probability of reinforcement. In DP Hendry, Conditioned reinforcement, pp. 127-162. Dorsey Press, Homewood IL. Bersh PJ (1951). The influence of two variables upon the establishment of a secondary reinforce for operant responses. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 41, 62-73. Bugelski, R (1937). Extinction with and without sub-goal reinforcement. Journal of Comparative Psychology, 26, 121133. Dinsmoor, JA, Brown, MP & Lawrence, CE (1972). A test of the negative discriminative stimulus as a reinforcer of observing. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 18, 79-85. Grice GR (1948). The relation of secondary reinforcement to delayed reward in visual discrimination learning. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 38, 1-16. Hendry DP (1969). Conditioned reinforcement. Dorsey Press, Homewood IL. Fantino, E (1967). Preference for mixed- versus fixed-ratio schedules. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 10, 35-43. Ferster, CB & Skinner BF (1957). Schedules of reinforcement. Appleton-Century-Crofts. New York. Findley JD & Brady JV (1965). Facilitation of large ratio performance by use of conditioned reinforcement. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 8, 125-129. Hall, J.F. (1951). Studies in secondary reinforcement: I. Secondary reinforcement as a function of the frequency of primary reinforcement. Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology, 44, 246-251. Kelleher RT (1958). Fixed-ratio schedules of conditioned reinforcement with chimpanzees. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 1, 281-289. Kelleher, R.T & Gollub, L.R. (1962). A review of positive conditioned reinforcement. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 5, 543-597. Klein, R.M. (1959). Intermittent primary reinforcement as a parameter of secondary reinforcement. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 58, 423-427. Lattal, KA & Gleeson, S. (1990). Response acquisition with delayed reinforcement. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes, 16, 27-39. Lieberman, DA, McIntosh, D.C. & Thomas, G.V. (1979). Learning when reward is delayed: A marking hypothesis. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes, 5, 224-242. Mackintosh, N. J. (1974). The psychology of animal learning. Academic Press: New York, NY. Myers WA & Trapold MA (1966). Two failures to demonstrate superiority of a generalized secondary reinforcer. Psychonomic Science, 5, 321-322. Neuringer AJ (1969). Animals respond for food in the presence of free food. Science, 166, 399. Nevin JA (1966). Generalized conditioned reinforcement in satiated rats. Psychonomic Science, 5, 191-192. Nevin JA (1973). Conditioned reinforcement. In JA Nevin & GS Reynolds, The study of behavior: learning, motivation, emotion, and instinct. Scott Foresman, Glenview. Pierce, WD & Cheney, CD (2004). Behavior analysis and learning (3rd Ed.). Lawrence Erlbaum, New Jersey. Saltzman IJ (1949). Maze learning in the absence of primary reinforcement: a study of secondary reinforcement. Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology, 42, 161-173. Schoenfeld WN, Antonitis JJ & Bersh PJ (1950). A preliminary study of training conditions necessary for secondary reinforcement. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 40, 40-45. Schulenburg, CJ (1976). Temporal parameters of conditioned reinforcement in the albino rat. PhD Dissertation Boston University Graduate School. Skinner BF (1938). The behavior of organisms. AppletonCentury-Crofts, New York. Stubbs, D.A. & Cohen, S.L. (1972). Second-order schedules: Comparison of different procedures for scheduling paired and nonpaired brief stimuli. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 18, 403-413. Walton, MM (1978). An analysis of behavior acquisition and maintenance with conditioned reinforcers developed through pairing. PhD Dissertation. Western Michigan University. Williams, BA & Dunn, R (1991). Preference for conditioning reinforcement. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 55, 37-46. Wyckoff LB (1969). The role of observing responses in discrimination learning. In DP Hendry, Conditioned reinforcement, pp. 237-260. Dorsey Press, Homewood IL. April 07 | Clean Run

Clean Run Magazine - April 2007

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run Magazine - April 2007