Animal Training - Associative Learning/Learning Processes

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Key Learning Processes

  • Sensitisation
  • Habituation
  • Classical Conditioning
  • Operant conditioning
    • also known as instrumental conditioning or trial and error learning
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Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936)

  • Russian Physiologist
  • Most of his relevant work carried out during 1870s
  • Nobel Prize in 1904
  • Digestive system in dogs
  • classical conditioning
  • saliva production in response to meat powder
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Edward Thorndike (1874-1949)

  • first pioneer for operant conditioning
  • followed by Burrhus Skinner
  • 'problem boxes'
    • cats learned to press a lever
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Burrhus Skinner (1904-1990)

  • experiments involving rats
    • 'skinner box' also known as operant conditioning chamber
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Sensitisation

  • the increasing of a response to a repeated stimulus (Broom and Fraser, 2007) that has a consequence
  • animal learns to respond to stimulus
  • gazelle react to sound of breaking twig
    • could signal the sound of an approaching predator
  • sensitisation will only occur once classical conditioning has taken place

In a training context...

  • respond to audio recall
    • sound of clicker and visual cue
  • animal has become sensitised to a stimulus when they react to sight or sound of stimulus
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Habituation

  • decrease or cease of a response to a stimulus after repeated presentations
  • organism learns to stop responding to stimulus which is no longer biologically relevant

In a training context...

  • animal learns to 'ignore' stimuli that have no consequences
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Classical Conditioning

  • learning process in which biologically potent stimuli are paired with previously neutral stimuli
  • e.g., clicker mean food

In a training context...

  • clicker or whistle to indicate reinforcement
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