Transcript 03-Learn-Commun-Train

Learning &
Communication:
Basic Staff Training Program
LEARNING & COMMUNICATION
Training the Trainers
• What qualifications do staff typically have when
first hired (prior coursework, degrees, certification,
etc.)?
• How long is our typical training program? (weeks)
• How many hours of total training in operant
techniques?
• How are new skills learned by trainers? (practica,
supervisory evaluations)
Operant Training Techniques
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Learning
Response events
Stimulus events
Classical Conditioning
Operant Conditioning
ABC’s of Training
Contingency
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Discriminative stimulus
Stimulus control
Stimulus generalization
Response generalization
Reinforcement (pos. v. neg.)
Punishment (pos. v. neg.)
Reinforcement types
Reinforcement schedules
(variable v. fixed, ration v.
interval)
LEARNING & COMMUNICATION
Communication
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The process of telling the animal what we want or
need
Two mandatory steps to successfully communicate
with an animal
1. Must become significant: pair yourself with food
2. Need a way to say “YES”: condition a bridge stimulus
LEARNING & COMMUNICATION
Communicating Best When Training
1. Have a properly conditioned bridge
2. Break down behavior into successive
approximations
3. Utilize targeting techniques
4. Use cumulative training techniques
5. Set your animal up for success!
LEARNING & COMMUNICATION
ATAC Bridge Video
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www.imata.org
Log in
Click on 'Library'
Click on 'IMATA Glossary of Terminology'
Click on 'ATAC Video Glossary'
Click on 'Bridge'
LEARNING & COMMUNICATION
6 Aspects of a Bridge
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It is a discriminative stimulus (SD)
It is a secondary reinforcer
A bridge pinpoints the moment in time when the
animal achieves proper criteria
It bridges the gap
Can be used intermittently during a behavior or to
terminate a behavior
A bridge sets clear communication meaning “yes”
or “good”
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It never means “kind of”
LEARNING & COMMUNICATION
4 Training Methods
1. Successive Approximations - Shaping
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Behavior pyramid
Utilizes a target as a tool
Benefit
• A great way to train because you have steps to fall back
on if the behavior breaks down
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2 Aspects of a Target
– It is an SD
1. It focuses the animal’s attention
Pryor's Ten Laws That Govern Shaping
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Raise criteria in small increments
Train one aspect at a time
Have current step of behavior on a variable
reinforcement schedule before moving to next step
Relax old criteria when training a new aspect of a
behavior
Be prepared if the subject makes sudden progress
Pryor's Ten Laws That Govern Shaping
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Do not change trainers midstream
If one shaping procedure is not progressing, find
another
8. Do not end a session without reason
9. If behavior breaks down, back up to how the
behavior was trained
10. If possible, end the session on a positive
LEARNING & COMMUNICATION
Fading
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Fading is a method one can use during the successive
approximations used to train a behavior
ATAC Fading Video
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www.imata.org
Log in
Click on 'Library'
Click on 'IMATA Glossary of Terminology'
Click on 'ATAC Video Glossary'
Click on 'Fading'
LEARNING & COMMUNICATION
4 Training Methods
1. Manipulation or Molding
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Animal learns to “let the trainer do the work”
Problem
• Animal does not actively perform behavior
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Benefits
• Don’t have to take the time to train the actual behavior
• Animals usually become quite desensitized
LEARNING & COMMUNICATION
4 Training Methods
1. Imitation, Mimicry, or Observational Learning
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Animal learns behavior and maintains it based on how
reinforcing it is to perform
Problem
• Animal learns at own pace and must have adequate
social mates to learn a lot
• Behavior may be difficult to troubleshoot if it degrades
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Benefit
• Relatively short learning curve
LEARNING & COMMUNICATION
4 Training Methods
1. Scanning or Capturing Behavior
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Trainer forms the contingency between the animal
offering a behavior and opportunities for outside
reinforcement
Problem
• Can’t utilize original “training steps” if the behavior
degrades
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Benefit
• Relatively short learning curve
LEARNING & COMMUNICATION
Review: Communicating Best When Training
1. Have a properly conditioned bridge
2. Break down behavior into successive
approximations
3. Utilize targeting techniques
4. Use cumulative training techniques
5. Set your animal up for success!
LEARNING & COMMUNICATION
The Golden Rules of Training
• To communicate well with your animal,
you must be CONSISTENT
• The rules must be FAIR and PREDICTABLE
LEARNING & COMMUNICATION
Things to Consider Before Training
• Know the natural history of the species:
– Where the animal lives, physiological needs, social groupings
• Know the particular individual’s background:
– Age, sex, health issues, prior training, prior aggression issues
• Know the environment in which you will be training:
– Human and animal safety, ability to view animals, potential for
enrichment
– Have a plan!
TRAINING
Having a Plan
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Trainers communicate with their animals to modify
behavior
Consequences affect learning and the overall
motivation of an animal in training
A trainer must have a plan before beginning the
training process
TRAINING
Steps to Train an Animal
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Define the game plan
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Why are you training this behavior?
Can this compete with other behavioral goals?
When does it need to be completed?
What resources will you need?
TRAINING
Steps to Train an Animal
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Evaluate the individual’s history
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What type of learning history does the animal have?
Has the animal learned this behavior before?
Is the behavior similar to something the animal already
knows?
Could this training somehow be punishing to your
animal?
Will you be changing the context of the target?
TRAINING
Steps to Train an Animal
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Select an SD
• A unique stimulus that the animal cannot
associate with any other stimuli
• Choose something that is simple
• If possible, have the SD resemble a part of the
training process
TRAINING
Steps to Train an Animal
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Create the Pyramid
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A formal behavioral outline
Identify steps (approximations) to train the behavior
It may be necessary to adjust the pyramid once training
begins
TRAINING
Steps to Train an Animal
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Execute and Evaluate
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Implement the pyramid
Sometimes it can be beneficial to have recent
approximations on a variable reinforcement schedule
before moving on to the next approximation
If no progress is being made it may be necessary to
adjust the pyramid; on the other hand you may skip
steps for an animal that is learning quickly
TRAINING
Summary
• Learning is a relatively permanent change in
behavior due to experience
• Operant Conditioning states that behavior is altered
by the consequences that follow that behavior
• In order to effectively communicate with an animal,
we must become significant and possess a means of
saying “good job”
• Know the animal and the environment
TRAINING
Summary
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Keep training simple
Desensitize objects
Shaping behavior through the use of targets is
preferred
Sharp bridges are essential
Pay attention to reinforcement schedules and ratios
TRAINING
Summary
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Once criterion is established for one approximation,
maintain it on an intermittent schedule
Don't over train or over use SDs, desensitization may
follow
Try to end sessions on a positive
Keep it fun!
There is more than one way to train a behavior
Utilize resources
TRAINING
The Training Game!
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Tools
– Reinforcement
– Bridge
– Props
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The training game can be done with scanning or
utilizing a target
Assume that bridges and targets have already been
conditioned
TRAINING
The Training Game!
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How to play
– A person is chosen to be the "dolphin" and asked to leave
the room
– The trainer is assigned a behavior to teach the "dolphin"
– The trainer prepares the pyramid, then the "dolphin"
comes back into the room
– Trainer can scan for desired behavior, or use a target
– Behavior is complete when the "dolphin" consistently
performs behavior correctly