(VICT) Re: Our Latest Adventure: Things I am Still Learning
- From: "Christy Hill" <care4k9@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <vi-clicker-trainers@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 25 Sep 2008 20:03:04 -0700
> I'm following the conversation re
> positive versus negative techniques
I'm a real stinker of terminology. Since clicker training is based on
science
of behavior analysis we really need to clarify the terms. Realize that the
layman
terms positive and negative are useless terms in clicker training or behavior
analysis and especially when describing operant conditioning.
Clicker training is strictly positive reinforcement. Traditional methods
that
use punishment is a combination of positive punishment techniques and negative
reinforcements.
Confused? Here is to make it much more simplistic.
Positive means something added
Negative means something taken away
Reinforcement means the likelihood of the behavior to occur again
Punishment is suppression of the behavior
So positive reinforcement is something added to increase the likelihood of the
behavior increasing. This means adding food to see the behavior happen again.
Positive punishment is to add something that decreases the behavior. Giving a
dog a
correction or a shock with an electronic collar to stop barking.
Negative punishment is to take something away to decrease a behavior. My
favorite of
this is I take myself away from my dog when he tries to jump on me and the jump
up
decreases.
Then we have one that is sometimes confusing. Negative Reinforcement. That is
when
something is taken away to increase a behavior. This is more of an avoidance
technique. You use a choke collar on the dog to increase heeling. The dog wants
to
avoid the pain, so they take them away or avoid the yank of the choke chain to
increase heeling.
I know this terminology can get difficult to understand, but it does tell you
how the
typical layman terms do not fit when you are discussing operant conditioning
terms or
clicker training.
For further reading, you can go to:
http://www.wagntrain.com/OC/
Christy
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