Think about Operant Conditioning as self management of behaviour. It can be good or bad.
Positive Reinforcement and negative reinforcement go way deeper than have a treat – and it’s not “adding things” or “removing things” the way you think. Dog trainers are adding all the crap the dog doesn’t need and removing everything the dog does need. This article is going to get into what “Operant Conditioning” really is. It’s not what trainers are telling you.
Dog training IS trainers definition of “Operant Conditioning” which IS “The Quadrants Of Dog Training” – they are interchangeable terms. How do trainers define operant conditioning? A method of behavioural modification using reward and puishment. That’s what Positive and Negative Reinforcement, Positive and Negative Punishment came from – the quadrants. There is a HUGE issue with that definition – does it hold water? Lets begin.
The biggest problem with dog training is that the point of view is always through the humans eyes – they are always trying to apply Positive Reinforcement – to operantly condition the dog using reward and punishment. That’s totally backward. You’re trying to control and manage the dog using rewards and punishment – But B.F Skinner himself would call that exploitation of the animal. But “why isn’t this working”.
But, Operant Conditioning needs to be looked at from the dogs point of view – or yours. Here’s where the issue comes into play – here’s the science.
If you keep telling your child to not touch a hot stove – it burn you. You trying to turn the hot stove into a negative reinforcement – something to flight or avoid. Something they should fear. People do the same with spiders and other things that scare them. You are creating an irrational fear by backing it up with possible consequence – punishment of getting bit or burned.
Your positive reinforcement comes in the form of fight (aggression) or flight (reactivity) or indifference. Positive reinforcements are your desires for the good things – but also your desires to remove the bad things. So – you fight – chase the thing off, kill it, whatever you do to remove it. You flight – you remove yourself from the negative reinforcement. Or you can make it not a big deal – become indifferent, AKA social – not to be confused with social skills. Many children don’t listen, and at some point they will likely get curious about that hot stove and burn themselves – that’s a negative consequence. And negative reinforcements can lead to self managment of behaviours. That act is removing the childs positive reinforcement – their desire to touch the hot stove in the first place? The removal of Positive Reinforcement is called Punishment, the child punished themselves through the wrong choice. They changed the curiosity that positive reinforcement can be into a negative reinforcement. This is your child operantly conditioning their own behaviours – they learn through social cognition – not behaviourism.
If you are hungry, and a good act got you a meal – the outcomes of your behaviours are a positive consequence – a positive reinforcer. And a positive consequence will lead you to do more good acts – nothing wrong with that. But that’s also comparible to your job – again, gaining money is a positive reinforcement. Even though money is fake. This is called “operant conditioning” from your point of view – the only one that matters. Even through a job you hate – that money or reward is a positive reinforcement.
Consequences of your actions can also be a positive but in a destructive way. If you your first ticket ever and won 10,000 at the lottery, the want of money is a huge positive reinforcement – so you’ll likely buy another lottery ticket and keep on buying them. You will win once in a while but it makes you become a gambler. This is what Skinner was doing in a lab – you winning the lottery is a variable scheduled reward.
Skinner wasn’t rewarding anything as you think of it – the reward is a reinforcement – a consequence. Positive or negative reinforcement. He wasn’t rewarding pigeons for doing good – it wasn’t a treat. It’s was part of the birds survival – the birds were kept starving and underweight. Yeah, they were motivated for food alright – think about that the next time a trainer tells you to withhold food to motivate the dog to become trainable with treats.
When you understand what Operant Conditioning really is – you will realize that the entire training community is lying to you – and the biggest issue is – they don’t even know they are lying to you. Trainers only learn the one definition of Operant Conditioning – and that’s the quadrants. It’s wrong. Period.
Your positive reinforcements can lead you to addictions. When you’re stressed – that’s a negative reinforcement. So, some people smoke, drink, eat, take drugs etc as a result. Smoking calms the nerves – but the nerves aren’t calm because of the addiction to nicotine, it’s a vicious cycle. Think about it, food is the worst addiction one can have and it encompasses everything from obesity, to anorexia to bulemia etc – it’s addiction based. Someone that smokes or drinks can quit. You can’t stop eating, it’s a survival thing.
I highly encourage dog owners to read B.F Skinners’ “About Behaviourism”. I read this book years ago, and it’s been so frustrating watching dog trainers pour on the negative reinforcement to dog owners – dog trainers have you drowning in a ocean of negative reinforcement.
Your “Positive Reinforcement” is fight (aggression), flight (reactive) or become indifferent – to your dog. And fight is called Behavioural Euthanasia.
Dog trainers are “Operantly Conditioning” dog owners – YOU – the reader using the Quadrants Of Dog Training. And the outcome is disgusting. What dog owners managed to normalise – make not a big deal, become indifferent to in response to all this Negative Reinforcement from the training community? It’s not good.
And the people scream “Why isn’t this working?”
If a dog is afraid – that reactive is their positive reinforcement – the removal of themselves from the negative reinforcement. You need to be a “Positive Reinforcement” in the dogs life – the highest value treat that they can choose to come to when they are afraid.
That’s the kind of operant conditioning the dog needs – throw the treats and tools in the garbage.
Choice is the very problem. Operant conditioning is a choice – could be conscious or unconscious. No different for you. But in dog training – the dog doesn’t get a choice – they aren’t allowed to operantly conditioning themselves because they never get choice. Dog training AKA “The Quadrants” don’t allow it – and again, Skinner would call the Quadrants exploitation.
You have some choice to make – some operant conditioning.