Comparative learning theory and its application in the training of horses.

This article presents a study on horse training techniques by comparing different learning theories, specifically looking at processes like negative reinforcement and punishment that have been largely unexplored in horse studies.

Training and Reinforcement

• The paper begins by explaining the definition of training, which is often seen as a process involving stimulus-response-reinforcement chains. This process results in animals creating associations between signals in their environment and the corresponding favorable outcomes following specific behaviours.
• The investigation into learning in horses has primarily focused on their superior discriminatory abilities, and on positive reinforcement schedules, which pair the right response with a desirable outcome such as a food reward.

Other Learning Processes

• The research also looks into other learning processes that are exploited in training but rarely scientifically studied in horses. These include negative reinforcement, punishment, secondary conditioning, and variable or partial conditioning.
• Negative reinforcement refers to a process where the performance of the correct response leads to the lifting of an unpleasant stimulus or the reduction in its intensity.
• Punishment, as defined in this context, is a process where an incorrect response is matched with an undesirable consequence, albeit without a predictable warning beforehand.
• Secondary conditioning is a training process that closely associates a primary, naturally rewarding stimulus like food, with an arbitrary secondary one like vocal praise.
• Variable or partial conditioning, once the correct response has been learned, occasionally presents reinforcement according to an intermittent schedule to improve resistance to forgetting when not in training.