Originally Posted by
JRedig
Hi Audrey,
Do you really think the reason a bird discontinues a single bate or bating is because of pressure and discomfort on their legs?
Jeff, no I don't think so. It was an example. Dillon subsequent post on Premack principle really address what could happen with bating...
On the other hand, in applied operant conditioning, we often forget that it's not the trainer who determines what constitutes a reward or punishment, it's the animal itself. As stated before, a punishment decreases the likelihood of an unwanted behavior to happen again. If it doesn't work, then it is not a punishment. If you whack your dog with a rolled newspaper every single time he barks and he does not stop barking, then hitting with the newspaper is not a punishment to him. So what we want to use as a reward or punishment has to be field tested, and it will depend entirely on the individual animal you are training and the situation you are in. What can work with one animal can be a mess with another one.
Audrey Marquis, Rouyn-Noranda, Canada
