Activity 2.4
This video shows the effect of positive reinforcement after repeated exposure to the "operant conditioning stick". This example would be continuous reinforcement, since each and every time the "operant conditioning stick" is presented and the big cats act accordingly, they receive a treat.
This does show that wild animals are subjected to the same impulses of conditioning. I wondered when studying Pavlov's classical conditioning, if using wild animals, such as wolves instead of domesticated dogs, would impact the results. After seeing the training of wild cats, I would say that, while it might have taken the wild animals longer due to their unfamiliarity and distrust of humans, the conditioning would have eventually taken place.
I would imagine it's important to use a stimulus that is natural for the animal, too, like the big stick in this video. Had it been an unfamiliar stimulus, the animal would likely be even more unsure about the situation and it is possible that no learning would occur.
ReplyDeleteThis made me think of a bit from James' "What the Native Reactions Are." The excerpt I thought of is:
"He must start with the native tendencies, and enlarge the pupil's entire passive and active experience. He must ply him with new objects and stimuli, and make him taste the fruits of his behavior, so that now that whole context of remembered experience is what shall determine his conduct when he gets the stimulus, and not the bare immediate impression. As the pupil's life thus enlarges, it gets fuller and fuller of all sorts of memories and associations and substitutions; but the eye accustomed to psychological analysis will discern, underneath it all, the outlines of our simple psychophysical scheme."
I think this follows along with the notion of starting training by observing and considering the reactions that are already in place and incorporating those into training for new reactions.
I would agree completely - the stimulus has to be natural. Your comment reminds me of the the commercial with Jimmy Fallon: ( I hope I can just post a link and have it work)
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ME5NJj_iEbw
He tries his hardest to give the baby money, but since money is unfamiliar and has no value to the baby, the interaction is a failure.