Panel-touch behavior of horses established by an autoshaping procedure.

The researchers conducted a study on horse behavior with 3 geldings, in which a specific action – touching a panel – was trained using an autoshaping method. When a negative contingency was introduced after the training, the occurrence of the trained response rapidly declined.

Key Points

• The study focused on the panel-touch behavior of 3 geldings (castrated male horses). The purpose was to understand how the animals learn and respond to certain stimuli, observing whether the successful establishment of a new behavior could be achieved.
• The methodology used was an autoshaping procedure, also known as response-termination. This involves reinforcing behavior not by rewarding the animal, but rather by ending a negative stimulus when the desired behavior is performed. Essentially, the horses learn that by touching the panel, they can end an unpleasant experience. This is a popular technique used in behavioral psychology, particularly in animal training.
• The findings showed that the panel-touch behavior was indeed established successfully in the geldings. This indicates that autoshaping worked in teaching the horses this new behavior, demonstrating the effectiveness of this type of behavioral training in equines.
• However, after the training, an ‘omission’ or negative contingency was introduced. This is essentially a situation where the horses do not receive the usual negative stimulus to terminate, whether they touch the panel or not. Meaning, the horses suddenly do not get any ‘benefits’ from touching the panel.
• This change resulted in a significant decline in the response rate. The panel touch behavior decreased to almost zero. These results highlight that a lack of reinforcement or reward following a trained behavior can lead to a rapid decrease in the performance of that behavior.

Implications and Conclusion

• The study provides useful insights for potentially developing more effective training methods for domesticated animals like horses. It highlights the effectiveness of autoshaping procedures, while also emphasizing the importance of consistent reinforcement in maintaining trained behaviors.
• However, the sudden decrease in the trained behavior when no reinforcement was provided also suggests that this particular training might lack a lasting impact. It can be inferred from the horse behavior that without continuous reinforcement, the effect of the training could be easily lost.
• Overall, the research serves as a valuable study about animal learning processes and the impacts of different training methods.