Learning Approach- Fagen (elephant learning)

Main psych being inv

operant conditioning, reinforcement, shaping, behavioral chaining

operant conditioning

learning from the outcome of our behaviour or the consequences of our actions.

When we perform a behaviour that has a good consequence, we are more likely to repeat it

positive reinforcement

a form of operant conditioning. Involves rewarding desirable behavior to encourage it to be repeated.

Secondary positive reinforcement - SPR

training in which animals are taught to associate specific sounds with food.

background

to avoid using traditional methods such as punishment Fagen investigated the use of SPR training to teach elephants to reliably and voluntarily engage in a trunk washing procedure. In this study the focus of SPR was a method for detecting tuberculosis in elephants.

aim

to see whether free contact, traditionally trained elephants, can be trained to voluntarily participate in a trunk wash by using positive reinforcement.

method

controlled observation, used a behavioral checklist to record elephants responses as a percentage pass. can also be a structured observation

Sample

-5 female elephants

-4 juveniles and one adult

-all housed in same elephant stable in Nepal

-juveniles were between 5-7 y/o

-adult was around 50 y/o

-not currently pregnant or looking after a calf

- none had previous experience of SPR

Procedure

-method of training was SPR

- trained from 7:30- 10 and 4-7

-no elephant went more than 2 days without a training session

-elephants could choose not to engage in a session by turning or walking away from the trainer

-Taught using (CLS) Capture, lure, shaping

Primary reinforcer

chopped banana

secondary reinforcer

whistle blow

training times

7:30-10. 4-7

Mahout

mahouts stood at the side and did not speak or signal to the elephants

Capture

waiting for an animal to perform a behavior naturally then capturing it by marking it with a reward

Lure

for non-natural behaviors an animal is lured into a certain body position by placing a reward in a certain place

Shaping

only given for behaviors that are the 'best', closest t goal behavior

Behavioral task

TTBBS

Trunk here, truck up, bucket, blow, steady

Verbal cue

one syllable word with no meaning in english or Nepali

Score

a passing score was 80% when they reached this the training was complete.

Results

-4 juveniles successfully learned the trunk wash

-adult elephant did not learn

-89.3 success rate after 35 sessions

Factors that influenced performance of elephant 5

-age

-visual impairment

-trunk weakness

-foot abcess

Conclusions

juvenile free contact elephants can be trained to voluntarily participate in a trunk wash using secondary positive reinforcement.

Strengths

-controlled observation so can be easily replicated so can be tested for reliability

-attempts to maintain validity of research were mahouts were asked not to interfere so speak to or give signals to the elephants. As well as verbal cues having no meaning in english or Nepali. both of these controls limit the influence of demand characteristics.

Weaknesses

-Small sample only 5 not generalizable

-small sample all females not generalizable

- all elephant were captive animals from the same stable not generalizable or representative of the general population

-elephants pose a major risk to humans because of their size so expt is risky

Ethics

-elephants were well treated

-were fed and able to socialize

-animals were already captive rather than in the wild

-purpose of the study was to help elephants.

-avoided punishment and minimized harm.

nature vs nurture

operant conditioning relies on a nurture based approach to learning. human training shaped the elephants behavior through rewards.so trunk washing was a learned behavior.

individual and situational explanations

most elephants in the study had their behavior changed by situational factors. finding was not consistent among all elephants. individual differences impact animals ability to learn new behaviors.

use of animals

animals were already in captivity and familiar with their handlers

no evidence that elephants were harmed

housing and care was sufficient