Study

• Pysch Being Investigated

  operant conditioning: learning from outcome of our beh

  -positive reinforcers: food/praise likely to repeat

  -negative reinforcers: unpleasant removed/avoided

  
  

  theory help explain how we develop complex beh, and how they are shaped

  
  

  -punishment used w pain bamboo stick; increased interest in reward-based training using protected contact rather than free

  IMPROVE psych well-being of elephants
• Background

  secondary positive reinforcement (SPR) training: associate specific sound with food

  -conditioned to sound marker relationships, used to reward w food on its own as marker indicates to animal it has correctly performed desired behavior

  
  

  -investigate use of SPR training to teach elephants to reliably and voluntarily engage in trunk washing procedure maintain well-being

  
  

  -diagnosing treating illnesses: detecting tuberculosis through trunk wash
• Aim

  see whether free-contact, trad trained elephants can be trained to participate in a trunk wash using positive reinforcement
• Research Method

  controlled observation

  -researchers watched eleph beh in response to spec stimulus

  -used behavioral checklist to record eleph responses as a percentage pass (structured)
• Sample

  5 female eleph; 4 juvenille (5-7) and 1 adult (50s)

  -eleph stable in Nepal

  -docile, not currently pregnant/looking after calf

  -trad trained in contact w mahouts

  -no prev exp w SPR

  -day spent grazing w mahout, rest leg-chained in stable free to move 6-8ft
• Procedure

  SPR: chopped banana primary reinforcer; whistle blow secondary reinforcer

  -indoor sessions 4pm-7pm by trainer w mahout for safety no speak/signal

  
  

  eleph chose not to engage in session

  -did not go longer than 2 days w/o training
• Procedure methods

  after est marker-reward relationships (banana-whistle) taught 3 mthds:

  
  

  capture: waiting animal to perform beh naturally then 'capturing' by marking w reward

  
  

  lure: non-natural beh, 'lured' into certain body pos by placing reward in certain place

  
  

  shaping: after capture/lure rewards only give for beh that are 'best' incrementally closer to goal beh
• Procedure task

  trunk here (lure w chopped banana hand): allow saline/water instilled into trunk by placing end in trainers hand

  
  

  trunk up (lure/shaping lift banana above head): allow saline/water to run to base of trunk

  
  

  bucket (lure w chopped banana bottom): allow placement of trunk into bucket ready to exhale

  
  

  blow (capture/shaping wait natural exhale): to exhale the sample for collection

  
  

  steady (shaping extending period pos/beh held): allow eleph hold pos for req amt of time
• Procedure Tog

  3 other tasks (targeting, trunk down/out) discarded partway not essential to performance of trunk wash

  -paired with verbal cue, one syllable, no meaning

  
  

  est, beh tg in small sequences (behavior chaining): chance to earn sec beh gain reward

  -sep pair, put tg in longer seq

  
  

  usage of syringe in trunk-here pos (desensitation method): brought closer into trunk, touching, inserted increasing amts till full 60ml req

  -avoid drinking offered drinks before training ses
• Procedure Time

  no time limit, determined by success (training plans varied according to individual eleph needs)

  -rec length of each training session + total # of times elephant given cue

  after ses 10:

  -tested aprrox every 5 sessions on prev taught beh

  -passing score 80% req for passed, higher training complete
• Results

  4 juvenile elephants successfully learned trunk wash, adult didnt

  -eleph 2/4 never passed steady test, but passed full trunk wash

  
  

  elephant 5 (adult) didnt pass blow into bucket, desensitation to syringe, or steady test

  -factors: older had visual impairment, trunk weakness

  -reported distracted/impatient last week, foot abscess, interrupted by calf
• Results scores

  some behavioral tasks more difficult than others

  -trunk here required more offers/cues than bucket/blow into bucket

  gradually improved perf over time

  -mean success rate went from 39% after 10 ses to 89.3% after 35 ses

  *never reached 100 as 90% default to indiv beh
• Conclusion

  juvenile free contact, trad trained eleph can be trained to participate in a trunk was using only SPR

  -can be carried out w voluntary participation of eleph, avoiding punishment, prod reliable results
• Strengths

  controlled observation: high replicability (flexible could affect)

  
  

  validity: mahouts asked no signals/speak, limits demand char

  -ecological validity: natural setting, beh reflect how react real life sit

  
  

  quantitative data: prov obj analysis whether SPR suc method, easier to analyze
• Weakness

  low generalizability: small sample of female eleph

  -captive from one eleph stable not representative of gen pop

  
  

  practical challenges: impose risk to themselves/humans due to size although docile + hard to control from distractions

  
  

  training sessions flexible (suit mood/ability): experience of trainer personalities/conditions eleph were kept affect results/reliability

  
  

  subjective assessment criteria: based on trainers judgement/sufficient quality of trunk wash affect validity
• Ethics

  well treated:

  -graze freely, fed properly, socialize, were captive

  
  

  actively avoided punishment & focused on training method

  -minimized harm to animals