Transcript Slide 1
Motivation: Staff Training Program MOTIVATION Drive State Theory • You must know what the animal values in order to excite or motivate them • Drive State Theory – Drive is a condition of motivation – Motivation varies between individuals – Individuals value different things MOTIVATION Drive State Theory Reinforcer 10 8 6 4 2 0 herring capelin ball bridge belly rub Punisher -2 -4 -6 -8 -10 buzzer shock MOTIVATION Motivation Continuum • This is a way of quantifying how reinforcing or punishing an object or behavior is at a particular time Punishing Neutral Reinforcing • The behavior or object can move to different places on the scale through conditioning, desensitization, or sensitization MOTIVATION Changing the Value of a Consequence • Satiation – Providing an excessive amount of the reinforcer, and the animal loses interest • Deprivation – Taking away the availability of reinforcement • Saturation Point – The point at which the value of a consequence changes from one side of neutral to the other MOTIVATION Types of Punishment • Delta: A stimulus that tells the animal they have given an incorrect response – No opportunity for reinforcement • Communicative Delta: A stimulus that tells the animal they have given an incorrect response, and gives them the opportunity to perform the behavior correctly – Still an opportunity for reinforcement MOTIVATION Punishment Utilized In Interactions • Time out (TO): Anything from 5 seconds to 10 minutes • Extended time out (ETO): minimum of 10 minutes MOTIVATION Possible Side Effects of Any Consequence And Examples for Marine Mammals • Frustration: The act of blocking, interfering with or disrupting behavior • Escape: The animal leaves the aversive situation • Avoidance: The animal postpones the presentation of the aversive event • Aggression: Behavior aimed at hurting another individual MOTIVATION Increasing Motivation • Variable: That which changes • It is important to be variable in your training to help keep the animal motivated, and so you as a trainer don’t become predictable • “Tricks of the Trade” – Differential Reinforcement: Reinforce selectively for a specific aspect of the behavior – Magnitude of Reinforcement: The size, strength, or duration of a reward after a behavior MOTIVATION Increasing Motivation • “Tricks of the Trade” – Lottery: An event whose outcome depends on chance – Context shift: Changing the events and processes that normally occur during training – Multiple session approach: Changing the amount of time spent during a training session MOTIVATION Summary • To keep an animal motivated know what they find valuable, and provide those things in an effective manner • Animals learn through reinforcement and punishment • Animal handlers must develop their skills in motivating the animals in their care in order to keep their animals focused