Stylized Clicker Training

Training Termanology

 

TERM DEFINITIONS:

Reinforcement: Anything that strengthens a behavior

Punishment: Anything that suppresses a behavior

Positive: Something added to influence a behavior

Negative: Something taken away to influence a behavior

 

TRAINING APPLICATIONS:

Positive Reinforcement R+ Something is added that strengthens a behavior the something is good or desired by the subject

Negative Reinforcement R- Something is taken away that strengthens a behavior the something is bad or aversive to the subject

Positive Punishment P+ Something is added that suppresses a behavior the something is bad or aversive to the subject

Negative Punishment P- Something is taken away that suppresses a behavior the something is good or desired by the subject

Extinction E A behavior goes away because it is not reinforced nothing happens to the subject, good or bad

 

Other notes:

1. The word "positive" is unfortunately used in two completely distinct senses in animal training. The first use comes directly from plain English usage,

that is, "positive" means something good or desirable. The second use is a formal, strict definition in operant behavior analysis and means something

"added to". If that something added is meant to suppress a behavior, as in positive punishment, then it is anything but good or desirable

.

2. "Positive" dog training can therefore mean a variety of things. Just because someone says they are "positive" does not mean that aversives are not

also used. In fact, "positive" traditional training is a particular mix of the use of "rewards" or things that the dog desires as lures or mood changers (and not as operant conditioned reinforcers) and corrections. Traditional dog training does use operant conditioning, but specifically that using aversives or corrections, such as leash pops, verbal reprimand, intimidation, or electronic stimuli. In other words, traditional dog training is a mixture of operant and non-operant methods, and of positive and aversive elements. If food or play is used in a non-operant fashion, i.e., as a lure, it is extremely difficult to fade out. For this reason, the mix of reward and punishment is ensured, because the operant conditioning methods of R-/P+ are required to strengthen desired behaviors. However, the price that this blend of methods exacts is high. The dog may perform well and reliably, but the dog's attitude is often not the same as a dog trained with R+/P-. In fact, many breeds of dogs and many individuals in any breed maybe passed off as untrainable with R-/P+ methods, written off as "stubborn", "stupid", "willful", "has own agenda", "soft", and so on.