Behavior Modification Techniques
By
Dr. Jim and Lynda McCall
Copyright
© 2003
Lesson Three
CONDITIONED
REINFORCERS
Developing a reward system during horse training
demands an intelligent and creative mind. The advantage that nature has
over us is that she has the primary reinforcers at her command. It is difficult
to present a horse with food, water or sex each time a reward is necessary.
Therefore, horsemen have learned to use conditioned reinforcers to get the job
done. One of the most unique conditioned reinforcers that we have seen used was
devised by a physics professor. Jim
often tells this story.
This professor, who had
moved to south
The trader must have seen the
Greenhorn coming. He came home with a tiny mare that was so nervous she
couldn't stand her own skin. Still, the Prof. was tickled. He said that the
trader swore the little horse had the makings of a top roping horse if only she
had the right kind of training.
For two or three months, the proud
new owner spent every free moment gentling the filly and getting her in and out
of the roping box. He even managed to rope a few calves on her. But, everyday after tracking the first calf,
the filly got so fractious and high she wouldn't do anything but stargaze and
prance the rest of the night.
Finally one day I decide to offer
some friendly advice to this fellow about possibly getting another horse. As I
walked up to the stall he heard an unusual sound.
"Click-click.
Click-click."
"That's strange," I thought
to myself.
Cautiously I peeked into the stall.
The filly was at the feed box eating her evening meal. The professor was
talking to her in whispered tones as he brushed her.
I watched, undetected, for several
minutes. Again I heard the noise.
"Click-click.
Click-click."
Finally, I announced my presence by
asking, "What's that noise?"
"Oh, it's just one of those toys
that comes in a box of Cracker Jacks," the
unusual physic professor replied.
Having been to college and taken a
couple of physics classes myself, I knew something
about physics professors. But, this one was acting a little weirder than the
norm. My curiosity got the best of me and I had to ask, "Why are you doing
that?"
"I read in this book," he
explained, "if you present something like a sound or light during a time
when an animal is being pleasantly rewarded (like when he is eating or being
groomed), that when you make the sound later the horse will associate it with
the positive things. Anyway, I thought I would try it and see if it would help
keep this filly from being so nervous after she tracked a calf."
Like I said, I knew physicists'
brains were wired just a bit different, so I figured it best if I just went
along with this book stuff and didn't mention getting another horse. "I
sure hope it works for you," I said, not believing for a minute that there
was a chance in Hades it would.
About a week later I was at the
Wednesday night Jack-Pot roping. In rode the professor on the little bay mare.
Out of the box they came. Two raps and a hooey later,
the mare was calm as a cucumber. As the prof
walked toward her again I heard, "Click-click. Click-click."
He climbed back in the saddle and the two of them rode out of the arena. The
mare was as serene as if she was standing in her stall eating oats.
From that day to this, I've believed
you can learn something about training horses from anybody - even a physics
professor who reads animal behavior books. So I got myself one of those books.
The book stated that conditioned reinforcers will not change behavior by
themselves. Bells, whistles, lights, Cracker Jack toys, money, will not cause a
behavior to occur more often.
Wait a minute! We know a bunch of folks reading that statement
that are sure money can change behavior. Yep, you're right! But money is
a conditioned reward. It is not a primary reinforcer. Read on!
It seems to work like this: food, shelter, water, love - the necessities
of life - are the primary reinforcers that shape our lives as youngsters. Very
early on money is paired with these basic human desires. The almighty dollar
takes on power because it is paired with our basic needs and wants.
In a training situation, the use of conditioned reinforcers gives us the
freedom to substitute a subtle touch or sound to reward a horse after a desired
behavior. This is really important during competition Judges don't allow time
to reward the horse with a sugar lump after successfully completing a 20-foot
slide during a reining pattern. You
can't stop after a working a cow to give your horse a lump of sugar before
untangling your reins to get ready to re-enter the herd for the next cut.
If you want to use sugar as the reward during training, you need to
consistently pair it with something that is useable in all situations. For example, softly utter "Good Boy”
each time you reinforce a behavior with a sugar lump. It won't be long until the sound of
"Good Boy" will be just as rewarding to the horse as the lump of
sugar. Then you can whisper "Good
Boy" after a slide or a great cut to let the horse know you are
reinforcing that behavior.
As previously mentioned, training with food is tricky. To always work,
the horse has to always want the reward. Keeping a horse hungry, so that he
will always want food, is a difficult way to achieve peak performance.
However, horses always seem to want herd acceptance. After being a herd
animal for 40 million years, being accepted by the herd is a primary
reinforcer. It gives the horse harmony with his environment, and he is calm,
peaceful and secure. This is the primary
reinforcer upon which we build our conditioned reinforcers.
The herd is to horses as the family is to man - an evolutionary unit
where one belongs. In the wild, a horse will perform all manner of actions in
order to stay with the herd. We think that this herd instinct is the most
powerful tool we have in training. Once understood, it can be used to
manipulate the horse's behavior.
After being a herd animal for 40 million years,
being accepted by the herd is a primary reinforcer.
It gives the horse harmony with his environment, and he is calm, peaceful and
secure.
To benefit from the power of this reinforcer, convince the horse that
the two of you are a herd by giving him all the security and acceptance he
expects from his equine family. This is most easily done when the horse is
young. In the beginning the foal sees the herd as his mother and himself.
Around 6 months of age it is easy to step into the shoes of the dam by
supplying the needs of the foal. Obviously, supplying food is no problem, but
providing security and acceptance may be more difficult.
Horses find security in their herds because they know the rules. Horses live in a dominance hierarchy. Each horse knows where he belongs in the herd
and knows the acceptable rules of behavior related to his position.
Foals learn this behavior from their dams. The mare protects her naive foal as he learns
herd etiquette. A foal with its dam will
move through the herd in the same hierarchical position as its dam. Other horses that yield to the dam will
usually yield to her foal.
Once the foal is weaned, the youngsters fall to the lowest order in the
herd. However, it doesn't take long till
youngsters develop their own pecking order within their own group. As they grow older, each young horse will
move up the pecking order ladder till it reaches the position where it is most
comfortable.
By the age of 5, most horses have achieved their highest position and,
interestingly, that position is very close to the position of their dams. Each time a horse enters a new herd, it
must work itself through that herd's dominance hierarchy till it reaches the
highest position which it can maintain.
For the horse, social position is very important. The highest ranking horses get the first
choice at feed, water, sex - all the primary reinforcers.
So providing security and acceptance for a 6-month-old
foal means that he has to view you as his teacher. Like his dam you have to show him what the
rules are in order to live successfully in the human/horse herd. You have to be higher in the pecking order
than him but you have to protect him, not attack him like other higher-ranking
individuals. You have to let him into your personal space rather than drive him
off. But you must define the rules that
apply while he is in your personal space.
In other words, you have to enter the world of the horse and bring the
young horse into your herd using the instinctive learning that Nature set up
for the young horse to learn to be accepted by his herd. Once the horse is comfortable in your herd,
he will work to please you.
This sets the stage for the development of a conditioned reinforcer,
like touch or sound, which tells the horse you are pleased with his effort.
Rewarding his behavior is also strengthens your acceptance of him in your herd
of two.
Using conditioned reinforcers can open the door for trainers to invent new
and better ways to achieve their goals while maintaining the horse's willing
spirit. But before you begin to develop
a training program based on operant conditioning, there are some more important
things you need to know.