Study Notes on Fagen et al. (Elephant Training with Secondary Positive Reinforcement)

Name of the Study

  • The study focuses on the training of elephants for trunk washing.

Aim of the Study

  • The aim is to investigate whether free-contact, traditionally trained elephants could be trained to participate in a trunk wash using secondary positive reinforcement.

What is being researched?

  • The study explores the feasibility of training elephants to perform a specific health-related task (trunk washing) through operant conditioning methods.

Research Questions (if there are any):

  • Could elephants be trained using the principles of operant conditioning?

  • Could shaping and chaining work on elephants?

Background:

Prior Research

  • Reference: Fagen et al. (elephant learning) 2014.

Cultural Importance of Elephants

  • Elephants hold a significant role in Nepalese culture, being involved in rituals and the economy.

Health Issues

  • Elephants are prone to tuberculosis (TB), necessitating regular health checks which include trunk washing for testing purposes.

Methodology Necessity

  • Training must be executed in a sequence for effective and accurate TB testing.

Teaching Methodology

  • Operant Conditioning: Learning through consequences of actions, with a focus on positive reinforcement.
      - Example of Primary Reinforcers: Bananas which meet basic needs.
      - Example of Secondary Reinforcers: Whistles or bells, paired with primary reinforcers.
      - Secondary Positive Reinforcement (SPR) training involves using secondary reinforcers to teach desired behaviors.

Behavioral Techniques

  • Shaping: Reinforces closer approximations to a target behavior.

  • Behavioral Chaining: Involves teaching a sequence of behaviors in the requisite order.

Training Background

  • Mahouts (elephant trainers) previously utilized punishment and aversive stimuli in training.

  • In 2011, the Nepalese government mandated annual TB testing and treatment for captive elephants, leading to a shift to positive reinforcement training methods.

Research Method Used

  • Controlled, overt observation methodology with structured observations using a behavioral checklist.

Sample Population

  • Sample included five female elephants born in captivity (Four juveniles aged 5-7 and one adult approximately 50 years old).

  • All elephants were housed in the same stable, were docile, and non-pregnant.

  • Opportunity sampling was used, with mahouts eager to participate.

Experimental Design

  • No experimental design was specified.

Summary of the Procedure: Captive Animal Welfare

Daily Routine

  • Elephants grazed in the jungle guided by their mahouts for most of the day.

  • Remaining time spent in a stable, leg-chained, allowing movement within a 6-8 feet radius.

  • Diet included fresh grasses, grains, and nutritional supplements with water access at a river during grazing hours.

Training Sessions

  • Training sessions occurred in the mornings (7:30-10:00 AM) and afternoons (4:00-7:00 PM).

  • Mahouts stood nearby, refraining from signaling or speaking to the elephants during training.

  • Elephants freely chose to engage or not by walking away or turning.

Objective of Training

  • Train the elephants to perform the trunk wash voluntarily through a series of learned behavioral steps.

Training Methodology

  • Marker-Reward Relationship established (banana-whistle).

  • Methods included:
      - Capture: Waiting for an animal to perform a behavior naturally and then marking it with a reward.
      - Lure: Encouraging an animal into a certain position using a reward.
      - Shaping: Incrementally rewarding behaviors closer to the desired outcome.

Behavioral Tasks During Training

  - The following tasks were performed:
    - Trunk here: Elephant places trunk in trainer's hand (Lure method).
    - Trunk up: Elephant lifts trunk (Lure and Shaping).
    - Bucket: Elephant places trunk in a bucket (Lure method).
    - Blow: Exhaling into the bucket (Capture and Shaping).
    - Steady: Holding the position (Shaping).

  • After each behavior was established, verbal cues were added (using a one-syllable word devoid of meaning in English or Nepali).

Customization of Training

  • Training was tailored to individual elephants' needs and there was no strict time limit for each stage of training.

  • Progress was assessed by evaluating previous behaviors after every ten sessions,
      - A passing score was set at 80% (8/10 cues correct).

Summary of Results

  • Juvenile elephants learned the full trunk wash in 25-35 sessions.

  • The mean average session duration was 12 minutes; total training time averaged 367 minutes (ranging from 194 minutes to 451 minutes).

  • The older elephant (Elephant 5) was unable to integrate the full trunk wash sequence due to challenges in mastering blowing into the bucket and steady position holding.

  • Distracting factors: nearby unrelated calf, possible weak trunk muscles related to age, and presence of a foot abscess affected learning.

Key Statistics

  • Mean % correct for all tasks (from the data provided):
      - Full trunk wash learned percentages varied, but notable averages range from approximately 40% to 100% across all tasks.

Conclusions

  • Fagen et al. concluded that SPR is a viable method for training juvenile, traditionally trained elephants for voluntary and reliable trunk washing participation without the use of punishment, thus ensuring ethical treatment and providing reliable health outcomes.

Ethical Concerns

  • Adherence to ethical guidelines during the study.

Strengths of the Study

  • Elephants had the option to walk away, potentially reducing psychological distress and physical harm.

  • Elephants were able to forage freely for a significant part of the day and received adequate feeding and social interaction.

  • Training reduces the risk of TB spread through reliable testing behavior.
      - Behavioral checklist detailed the operational descriptions of taught behaviors, enhancing reliability.
      - Mahouts followed instructions not to signal or engage with elephants, increasing validity and reducing demand characteristics.
      - Quantitative data collected in naturalistic settings with external tourist activity heightened ecological validity.
      - Operational definitions of behaviors provided measures for performance evaluation.

Weaknesses of the Study

  • Time spent on discarded tasks skewed overall training time data, limiting validity without accounting for this.

  • Measurement of performance relies on subjective assessments from one observer, potentially introducing bias.

  • Small sample size and absence of male elephants limit generalization of findings to broader elephant populations.