Page 159 - Zoo Animal Learning and Training

7.3 Two‐way Communication 131

To address this latency in behaviour and
VetBooks.ir shaping process are often debated in various strengthen the cue‐behaviour response the
circles. However, it is important to remem-
ber every animal is an individual, every
them to about 20 m. The trainer standing
trainer is an individual and conditions are trainers shortened the distance between
constantly changing. What works for one next to the bird held completely still so not
trainer and animal may not work for another to distract the crane. The trainer away from
trainer and animal. As with most questions the bird waited for the crane to start mov-
about the specifics of training approaches, it ing in her direction before delivering the
is often best to use your good judgement and cue. When the crane arrived at the trainer it
‘test it’. If it works, do it again. Except in wel- received the reinforcers and the sequence
fare issues, it is often best to not worry too was repeated going back to the other
much about what others say and discover for trainer. The trainers realised the crane took
yourself which strategy works best. time to investigate its surroundings before
it was ready to receive the cue. They also
realised they did not even need to call the
7.3.8 Consequences Drive Future bird because its reinforcement history
Behaviour
motivated the animal to go from one trainer
The skilled and artistic application of scien- to the other. Once the behaviour was per-
tific principles is seen in trainers who under- formed fluently, the trainers inserted the
stand consequences, not antecedents, are the cue into the antecedent position.
most important factors in driving future Even in the best circumstances, animals
behaviour. Antecedent cues tell an animal will not always respond immediately to the
that the opportunity for reinforcement is cue and this is where skill and experience
available contingent upon their performing a are most valuable. When an animal fails to
specific behaviour. It is the reinforcing con- perform after a cue, a skilled trainer will
sequence that follows the behaviour that read the animal’s body language and deter-
increases the likelihood that the behaviour mine if the animal saw the cue or not. If the
will occur again. trainer is sure the animal saw the cue but is
The trainers at Natural Encounters Inc., momentarily distracted, she may wait for a
trained a young Grey Crowned Crane few seconds, then recue the behaviour when
(Balearica regulorum) to fly from one trainer the animal is looking at her. If the trainer
to the other about 200 m apart. After the does not think the animal saw the cue, she
crane ate the food reinforcers from a trainer’s will present another cue even if it was only
hand, the trainer at the other end of the field one or two seconds after the first cue. Lack
began calling (prompting) and gesturing with of contiguity between the presentation of
hand cues for the bird to fly back to the first the cue and performance of the behaviour
trainer. After a few minutes of picking at the may weaken stimulus control, promote
grass, exploring objects on the ground, and offering of the behaviour at random times,
looking at the trainer by its side, the crane and encourage latency of performance in
finally looked towards the trainer at the other response to the cue.
end of the field. Only then was the crane Once an animal has learned to perform a
ready to receive the cue, and quickly took off behaviour at a high level of stimulus control,
in the direction of the trainer who had been the behaviour is usually put on a mainte-
giving the cue and prompts for the past two nance schedule, i.e. the trainer only cues and
minutes. This repeated cuing and prompting reinforces the behaviour occasionally, or the
had no effect on behaviour and quite possibly behaviour is performed as part of its daily
served to decrease the meaning of the cues routine, such as shifting on and off exhibit.
and prompts since they weren’t immediately Some trainers run through an animal’s entire
followed by reinforcement. repertoire of behaviours on a daily basis, as if