Excel-Erated Learning: Explaining in Plain English How Dogs Learn and How Best to Teach Them

by Pamela J Reid

Overview

Excel-erated Learning: Explaining in Clear English How Dogs Learn and How Best To Teach Them reveals the secret for increasing the speed and efficiency of dog training. With the freedom of understanding "how your dog learns" comes the ability of making the process easy, efficient and enjoyable for your dog.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781888047073
Publisher:	James & Kenneth, Publishers
Publication date:	08/30/2013
Pages:	172
Product dimensions:	5.72(w) x 8.38(h) x 0.47(d)

Table of Contents

	Forward	1
	Introduction	2
	A Few Comments About The Book	4
	What is Learning?	5
	What is Learning Theory?	6
	Knowing Versus Doing	6
	Motivation	7
	The Four Stages of Learning	9
	A Bit of History	12
	Why Study Animals?	12
	The Story of Clever Hans	13
	The Principle of Parsimony	14
	The Science of Behaviorism	15
	The Lingo	17
	Psychological Jargon	17
	Classical Conditioning	20
	What Goes With What?	20
	Operant Conditioning	25
	Does What I Do Affect What Happens To Me?	25
	The Four Possibilities	27
	Positive Reinforcement	27
	Negative Reinforcement	27
	Positive Punishment	28
	Negative Punishment	28
	Classical or Operant Behavior?	29
	Single-Event Learning	34
	What's Important in my World?	34
	Sensitization	36
	Habituation or Sensitization?	37
	Adaptation	38
	Learned Irrelevance	39
	Factors that Affect Learning	42
	Deprivation Level	42
	The Reward	44
	Contrast Effects, Jackpots, and Reinforcer Sampling	45
	Novelty	49
	Timing	49
	Classical Conditioning	49
	Operant Conditioning	51
	Primary and Secondary Reinforcers	52
	Establishing a Conditioned Reinforcer	55
	Schedules of Reinforcement	57
	The Different Types of Schedules	57
	Ratio Schedules	60
	Interval Schedules	62
	Differential Reinforcement Schedules	65
	Duration Schedules	67
	Which Reinforcement Schedule Should You Use?	69
	What About Reinforcement Schedules in Classical Conditioning?	72
	Premack's Theory of Reinforcement	73
	Stimulus (Signal) Control	77
	Discrimination and Generalization	78
	A Package of Stimuli	81
	Which Stimuli will the Dog Learn About?	82
	Salience and Overshadowing	83
	Blocking	85
	The Reliability of the S[superscript D]	87
	Context Effects	89
	What About Teaching A Discrimination?	90
	Is There a More Efficient Way?	92
	Errorless Discrimination Learning	94
	Can Dogs Learn Scent Discrimination With an Errorless Procedure?	95
	Preparedness	97
	Discrimination or Reflexive Behavior?	99
	Learning Sets	100
	Experimental Neuroses	101
	Extinction	103
	Is Extinction Unlearning?	103
	The Partial Reinforcement Extinction Effect	105
	Aversive Control of Behavior	108
	Negative Reinforcement	108
	Electronic Collars and Avoidance Responding	113
	Extinction of Avoidance Responding	116
	Species-Specific Defense Reactions	117
	Positive Punishment	119
	Considerations on the Use of Punishment	119
	How Strong Should a Punisher Be?	119
	How Important is the Immediacy of Punishment?	120
	What is the Right Punishment Schedule?	122
	Does it Matter What the Punisher is?	122
	Does Punishment Teach the Animal What is Should do?	122
	Is Punishment Subject to Stimulus Control?	123
	Punishment is Rewarding to the User	124
	Behavior that Persists Despite Punishment	124
	What's the Scoop on Using Punishment?	126
	Noncontingent Aversive Stimuli	128
	Negative Punishment	130
	The Application of Learning Principles to Changing Behavior (A.K.A. Behavior Modification Techniques)	133
	Teaching New Behaviors	133
	Shaping by Successive Approximations	134
	Prompting	139
	Chaining	143
	Autoshaping	147
	Modifying Existing Behaviors	149
	Conditioned Emotional Responses	149
	Counterconditioning and Desensitization	150
	Flooding/Response Prevention	152
	Taste Aversion Learning	154
	Some Common Behavior Problems	157
	Phobias	157
	Separation Anxiety	160
	Interdog Aggression	161
	Aggression Toward People	162
	Social Learning	166
	Social Facilitation	166
	Stimulus or Local Enhancement	168
	Imitation	169
	Conclusion	170
	References and Recommended Readings	171