Page 31 - Zoo Animal Learning and Training

3

VetBooks.ir

1

Learning Theory
Nicole R. Dorey

1.1 Introduction behaviour. For example, when a person stops
performing a problem behaviour, like biting
Before really diving into learning theory, we their nails, a behaviour is not acquired but a
must first define learning. Scientists define change occured. In addition they might know
learning as a change in an organism’s behav­ that these behaviours are bad for them, but
iour or thought resulting from experience. that knowledge doesn’t change the observa­
This can be the standard definition found in ble behaviour.
any general psychology textbook. As a student, Learning also must be ‘due to experience’.
I heard this definition a million times, and Behaviour change is sometimes, but not
I’m sure you have too. Sometimes when you always, a result of experience. For example,
hear something over and over again you tend consider zebra A and zebra B who are both
to not pay attention to it anymore. But I think being trained to target a frisbee on com­
we should. Not only should we pay attention mand. After zebra A acquires the targeting
to the definition we should also start to break behaviour, s/he will touch its nose to the fris­
it apart and not just take the definition at bee when you the trainer say ‘target’. Zebra B
face value. Questions like, why is it change in who also acquired the behaviour is now sick
behaviour and not acquisition of knowledge? and refuses to touch the target with its nose.
What does ‘due to experience’ mean? This Although zebra B changed their behaviour
section will guide you through the answers to when cued for ‘target’ their behaviour change
those important questions. is not a result of learning. So zebra A and B
Let’s look at the first of these questions. Why both learned the targeting behaviour from
do we use the phrase ‘change in behaviour’? experience. However, zebra B changed their
One might instead like to think of learning as behaviour due to an illness.
an acquisition of knowledge rather than a What is experience? ‘Experience’ refers to
change in behaviour. Chance (1988) explains events that occur in the animal’s environ­
that the word change is preferred over ment or surroundings (Chance 1988). Thus,
acquisition because ‘learning does not always changes in the animal’s environment can
appear to involve acquiring something, but cause learning. For example, consider an
does always involve some sort of change’ elephant in a zoo. In the evening, the ele­
(p. 24). Furthermore, we use the word phant might start walking towards the night
behaviour instead of knowledge because enclosure (where it is fed at night) when it
behaviour can be observed. We can’t see hears keys jingle. In the past, keys jingling
what someone knows and psychologist have signalled mealtime and thus the animal
know that knowledge isn’t enough to change has learned from experience that the jingle

Zoo Animal Learning and Training, First Edition. Edited by Vicky A. Melfi, Nicole R. Dorey, and Samantha J. Ward.
© 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Published 2020 by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.