Psy 331.03 Laboratory in Advanced Operant Behavior

Val Farmer-Dougan

Spring, 2018

Test #1

Please answer the following ten (10) questions as completely as possible.

  • You may use your readings and notes (other references may also be used, as with any test, but shouldn't be necessary).
  • You are encouraged to discuss these questions with others in class. Discuss it with your lab partner or others in the class.
  • However, you MUST TURN IN YOUR OWN ANSWERS. Answers that appear to be absolute duplicates of others in the class with be considered cheating- so please write your own version of the group examples (as Sister Ethna used to say- every 7th word must be different!).

Each question is worth a possible 10 points (100 points total). Each answer should be approximately 0.5 to 1.0 pages long (handwritten). Answers need not be typed; however, it is preferred when possible (remember I am old and can’t see well)

Answers are due Monday, March 19thby 11:59pm.

  1. Define operant conditioning, including positive and negative reinforcement and positive and negative punishment.Next define clicker training. Explain why clicker training is a form of operant conditioning. Describe any advantages of clicker training over “traditional” punishment/negative reinforcement based training.
  1. You have been asked to give a presentation to Psych 200 on clicker training. Make an outline of what you would tell the class. What research or other evidence would you use to convince the class that clicker training is an effective method? (Describe that research if it is applicable). What data might you have on your dog that shows the effectiveness of clicker training, and how would you present those data to the class (make me a graph or a table!)!
  1. Define shaping and outline the basic steps for shaping according to Karen Pryor:
  1. Next, using an example from two (2) dogs with which you are working OR two (2) behaviors from 1 dog with which you have worked, outline the steps you have used to shape that behavior.
  2. Using your data, explain how you determined if the dog had mastered the command(s).
  3. Explain how you decided at what step to being shaping and when to move to the next step
  4. Graph your data to show that your dog learned the behavior.
  1. What is stimulus control? How are cues and behavior chains each a type of stimulus control? What are poisoned and faulty cues and why are these NOT a good thing when developing stimulus control. How can you fix poisoned and faulty cues to regain stimulus control?
  1. Describe a chain that you have been shaping with one of the dogs. Which behaviors were in your chain? How did you teach or ensure that the dog was fluent in each of those behaviors? How did you put the chain together, and how did your dog react to increasing number of steps before reinforcement? (Hint: Tell me if you used a forward or backward chain and why). Show me your data: Demonstrate to me that your dog can perform a) each step in the chain and b) the whole chain to criterion.
  1. What is “Strategic Reinforcement”? Why is it so essential that you have a plan for reinforcing the behavior as well as shaping the behavior? What ways can you use strategic reinforcement to help you when teaching a a) sit; b) down; c) stay?
  1. In lecture we discussed at length the importance of social signals and canine communication behaviors and how dogs use these signals and behaviors to communicate to each other and to humans. As we discussed, these signals can be reinforced, punished and extinguished just like any other behavior.
  1. Briefly describe the basic categories of these behaviors and their importance.
  2. Next, using a dog from lab, describe how this dog does or does not use appropriatesignals and behaviors to communicate with other dogs and humans.
  3. If this dog’s behavior is inappropriate, describe factors that may have produced the inappropriate behavior.
  1. Using your answer from #6 above, provide a remediation plan for the social communication issue for that dog. What would you have the adopters do to help this dog master the communication signals and behaviors, thus allowing the dog to communicate better with both humans and other dogs?
  1. BRIEFLYDescribe the 6 stages of puppy development, highlighting the major characteristics and developmental milestones of each of these? Now, using these stages, choose a dog in the lab and describe what that dog might be experiencing developmentally? Is that dog still in any critical stage? Did the dog experience any problems in its early development that might have affected its behavior? Make three developmentally appropriate recommendations regarding training and socialization for that dog.
  1. Thinking about the various dogs in our labs: What differences in behavior and attention might you expect between our youngest pups such as Marlee, and our older dogs such as Fella? What about our “adolescent” dogs such as Blair, Tiny or even Shadow? Why is understanding these differences important for both a) trainers and behaviorists and b) owners? That is, what adjustments in training should we make for young pups vs. adolescents vs. adult dogs?