scholarly journals The click is not the trick: the efficacy of clickers and other reinforcement methods in training naïve dogs to perform new tasks

PeerJ ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. e10881
Author(s):  
Rachel J. Gilchrist ◽  
Lisa M. Gunter ◽  
Samantha F. Anderson ◽  
Clive D.L. Wynne
Keyword(s):  
Positive Reinforcement ◽  
Task Difficulty ◽  
Verbal Stimulus ◽  
Primary Reinforcement ◽  
The Other ◽  
Secondary Reinforcer ◽  
Superior Efficacy ◽  
Primary Reinforcer ◽  
Novel Behavior ◽  
Training Success

Background A handheld metal noisemaker known as a “clicker” is widely used to train new behaviors in dogs; however, evidence for their superior efficacy compared to providing solely primary reinforcement or other secondary reinforcers in the acquisition of novel behavior in dogs is largely anecdotal. Methods Three experiments were conducted to determine under what circumstances a clicker secondary reinforcer may result in acquisition of a novel behavior more rapidly or to a higher level compared to other readily available reinforcement methods. In Experiment 1, three groups of 30 dogs each were shaped to emit a novel sit and stay behavior of increasing duration with either the delivery of food alone, a verbal stimulus paired with food, or a clicker with food. The group that received only a primary reinforcer reached a significantly higher criterion of training success than the group trained with a verbal secondary reinforcer. Performance of the group experiencing a clicker as a secondary reinforcer was intermediate between the other two groups, but not significantly different from either. In Experiment 2, three groups of 25 dogs each were shaped to emit a nose targeting behavior and then perform that behavior at increasing distances from the experimenter using the same three methods of positive reinforcement as in Experiment 1. No statistically significant differences between the groups were found. In Experiment 3, three groups of 30 dogs each were shaped to emit a nose-targeting behavior upon an array of wooden blocks with task difficulty increasing throughout testing using the same three methods of positive reinforcement as previously tested. No statistically significant differences between the groups were found. Results Overall, the findings suggest that both primary reinforcement alone as well as a verbal or clicker secondary reinforcer can be used successfully in training a dog to perform a novel behavior, but that no positive reinforcement method demonstrated significantly greater efficacy than any other.

Conditioned Reinforcement Using Brain Stimulation as a Primary Reinforcement

1972 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 28-30
Author(s):  
Ernest H. Bergquist ◽  
James A. Joseph
Keyword(s):  
Conditioned Reinforcement ◽  
Brain Stimulation ◽  
Primary Reinforcement ◽  
Secondary Reinforcer ◽  
Conditioned Reward ◽  
Rewarding Brain Stimulation ◽  
Primary Reinforcer ◽  
Rewarding Brain

The purposes of this study were to condition a secondary reinforcer using rewarding brain stimulation as a primary reinforcer, and to determine whether the absence of stimulation-induced motivational conditions during testing might be an important factor in making this phenomenon so difficult to obtain. A moderate conditioned-reward effect was obtained, but the importance of stimulation-evoked motivational conditions was not definitely established.

Attributions of Success and Failure

1974 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 275-278 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip B. Ender ◽  
Arthur C. Bohart
Keyword(s):  
Task Difficulty ◽  
The Other ◽  
Item Questionnaire

A 20-item questionnaire was administered to 388 Ss. The questionnaire consisted of items involving success or failure. Half the items were about one's self (actor) and half about someone else (observer). For each situation there were four possible causes: (1) task difficulty, (2) luck, (3) ability, and (4) effort. The results showed that effort was rated significantly higher than the other causes, while luck was rated significantly lower. Also, there was a significant actor-observer difference with observers being more internal than actors.

Cross-CTSA Evaluation of KL2 Scholars' Scholarly Productivity Using Bibliometrics and Federal Follow-on Funding (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelli Qua ◽  
Fei Yu ◽  
Tanha Patel ◽  
Gaurav Dave ◽  
Katherine Cornelius ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Research Collaboration ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Citation Rate ◽  
Citation Impact ◽  
Federal Funding ◽  
The Other ◽  
Scholarly Productivity ◽  
Training Success ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Time Point

BACKGROUND Evaluating outcomes of a Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) hub’s clinical and translational research (CTR) training (e.g., KL2 program) requires selecting reliable, accessible, and standardized measures. Since measures of scholarly success usually focus on publication output and extramural funding, CTSA hubs have started to use bibliometrics to evaluate the impact of their supported scholarly activities. However, the evaluation of KL2 programs across CTSAs is limited, and the use of bibliometrics and follow-on funding is minimal. OBJECTIVE This study sought to evaluate scholarly productivity, impact, and collaboration using bibliometrics and federal follow-on funding of KL2 scholars from three CTSA hubs and define and assess CTR training success indicators. METHODS The sample included KL2 scholars from three CTSA institutions (A-C). Bibliometric data for each scholar in the sample were collected from both SciVal and iCite, including scholarly productivity, citation impact, and research collaboration. Three federal follow-on funding measures (at the five-year, eight-year, and overall time point) were collected internally and confirmed by examining NIH RePORTER. Both descriptive and inferential statistical analysis were computed using SPSS to assess bibliometrics results and federal follow-on funding of KL2 scholars. RESULTS A total of 143 KL2 scholars were included in the sample with relatively equal groups across three CTSA institutions (A-C). The included KL2 scholars produced more publications and citation counts at the eight-year than the five-year time point (3.4 vs. 3.75 publications per year on average; 26.16 and 26.44 citations per year respectively). Overall, the KL2 publications from all three institutions were cited twice as much as others in their fields based on NIH Relative Citation Ratio. KL2 scholars published work with researchers from other US institutions over two times (five-year point) or three and a half times (eight-year point) more than others in their research fields. Within five-year and eight-year post-matriculation, 44% (n = 63) and 52% (n = 74) of KL2 scholars achieved federal funding respectively. Institution C's KL2-scholars had a significantly higher citation rate per publication than the other institutions (p < .001). Institution A had a significantly lower rate of nationally field-weighted collaboration compared to the other institutions (p < .001). Institution B Scholars were more likely to have received federal funding than scholars at Institution A or C (p < .001). CONCLUSIONS Multi-institutional data showed a high level of scholarly productivity, impact, collaboration, and federal follow-on funding achieved by KL2 scholars. This study provided insights on using bibliometric and federal follow-on funding data to evaluate CTR training success across institutions. CTSA KL2 programs and other CTR career training programs can benefit from these findings in terms of understanding metrics of career success and using that knowledge to develop highly targeted strategies to support early-stage CTR investigators' career development.

Congruence of Causal Attributions for School Performance Given by Children and Mothers

1989 ◽  
Vol 64 (2) ◽  
pp. 359-363 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hirotsugu Yamauchi
Keyword(s):  
School Performance ◽  
Task Difficulty ◽  
Causal Attributions ◽  
Causal Attribution ◽  
Poor Performance ◽  
The Other ◽  
Seventh Grade ◽  
Response Options ◽  
Good School ◽  
Poor School

The purpose of this study was to compare the attributions of children with mothers' attributions and children's predictions of their mothers' attributions for children's school performances. Subjects were 76 boys and 94 girls in seventh grade and their mothers. The questionnaire was composed of 8 items and each item had 4 response options to evaluate factors of ability, effort, task difficulty, or luck. Four items were related to good school performance and the other four to poor performance. Children and mothers attributed both good and poor school performances to effort. Several tendencies of children's causal attribution were congruent with the tendencies in children's predictions of their mothers' attributions but were not related to mothers' actual attributions.

Interaction of Arousal and Task Difficulty upon Perceptual Restriction

1971 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 259-264
Author(s):  
Gerald M. Long ◽  
Suchoon S. Mo
Keyword(s):  
Task Performance ◽  
Significant Interaction ◽  
Task Difficulty ◽  
Arousal Level ◽  
The Other ◽  
Stress Group ◽  
Cue Utilization ◽  
Central Task ◽  
Ice Water ◽  
And Task

Ss were required to perform both central and peripheral perceptual tasks presented simultaneously by means of 200-msec. tachistoscopic flashes. The central task, requiring the discrimination between 2 lines on the basis of length, was progressively increased in difficulty from Test I to Test III. Peripheral task performance required the estimation of the number of black dots surrounding the central task. This number varied randomly between 1 and 8. Half the Ss in each test performed these tasks under stress (hand in ice-water), the other Ss under no stress. A significant interaction ( p < .01) was found; the stress group was inferior to the no-stress group on the peripheral task when the central task was relatively easy (Test I) but was superior to the no-stress group when the central task was extremely difficult (Test III). The results were interpreted in terms of the dependence of the “range of cue utilization” upon the degree of difficulty of the perceptual material as well as arousal level.

scholarly journals Emphasizing the ‘positive’ in positive reinforcement: Using non-binary rewarding for training monkeys on cognitive tasks

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin Fischer ◽  
Detlef Wegener
Keyword(s):  
Positive Reinforcement ◽  
Task Difficulty ◽  
Model System ◽  
Cognitive Tasks ◽  
Alternative Scheme ◽  
Brain Functions ◽  
Neuronal Mechanisms ◽  
Speed Up ◽  
Higher Brain Functions ◽  
Or Task

AbstractNon-human primates constitute an indispensable model system for studying higher brain functions at the neurophysiological level. They can be trained on highly demanding cognitive tasks, and studies involving these animals elucidated the neuronal mechanisms of various cognitive and executive functions, such as visual attention, working memory, and decision-making. The training of behavioral tasks used to study these processes builds on reinforcement learning and involves many discrete stages. It may takes several months, but frequently lasts a year or longer. The training is usually based on applying a liquid reward as the reinforcer to strengthen the desired behavior, and absence of the reward if the animal’s response was wrong. We here propose an alternative, non-binary rewarding scheme that aims to minimize unrewarded behavior. We show the potential of this alternative scheme to significantly speed up the training of an animal at various stages, without trade-off in accessible task difficulty or task performance.

scholarly journals Perbedaan Perilaku Lekat Bayi Pada Orangtua Antara Yang Diberi Asi Eksklusif Dengan Yang Tidak Diberi Asi Eksklusif (Studi Pada Bayi Umur 6 Bulan – 3 Tahun di Kecamatan Candi Kabupaten Sidoarjo)

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 53
Author(s):  
Qurrotul A’yun ◽  
Inayah Inayah
Keyword(s):  
T Test ◽  
Secondary Reinforcer ◽  
Primary Reinforcer

Air Susu Ibu (ASI) merupakan makanan yang paling sempurna bagi bayi. Memberikan ASI berarti memberikan zat-zat gizi yang bernilai gizi tinggi yang dibutuhkan untuk pertumbuhan dan perkembangan saraf dan otak, serta mewujudkan ikatan emosional antara ibu dan bayinya. Teori belajar mengatakan bahwa kelekatan antara ibu dan anak dimulai saat ibu menyusui bayi sebagai proses pengurangan rasa lapar yang menjadi dorongan dasar. Susu yang diberikan ibu menjadi primary reinforcer dan ibu menjadi secondary reinforcer. (Gewirtz dalam Hetherington dan Parke, 1999 dalam Ervika 2000, http//Library usu.co.id). Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui perbedaan perilaku lekat bayi pada orang tua antara yang diberi ASI Eksklusif dengan yang tidak diberi ASI Eksklusif. Dari hasil Uji t probabilitasnya adalah < 0,05 yaitu 0,000 berarti hipotesis diterima. Berdasarkan tabel t-test, ttabel pada taraf kepercayaan 95% maka didapatkan nilai ttabel sebesar 1,645. Oleh karena thitung > ttabel yaitu sebesar 13,832 maka hipotesis diterima. Dengan demikian berdasarkan uji tersebut di atas terdapat perbedaan Perilaku lekat bayi pada orang tua antara yang diberi ASI eksklusif dengan yang tidak diberi ASI eksklusif. 

Decitabine Induces Responses in Patients with Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS) after Failure of Azacitidine Therapy.

Blood ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 108 (11) ◽  
pp. 518-518 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gautam Borthakur ◽  
Farhad Ravandi-Kashani ◽  
Jorge Cortes ◽  
Elias Jabbour ◽  
Stefan Faderl ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Informed Consent ◽  
Chromosomal Abnormalities ◽  
Performance Status ◽  
Normal Liver ◽  
The Other ◽  
Study Group ◽  
Hypomethylating Agents ◽  
Comparative Efficacy ◽  
Superior Efficacy ◽  
Cardiac Functions

Abstract Background The hypomethylating agents azacitidine and decitabine are active in MDS and approved in the U.S.A. for this indication. The comparative efficacy of these two agents is not established. Responses to one drug after treatment failure with the other may offer evidence for superior efficacy. Study Aims Evaluate the efficacy of decitabine in MDS after failure of azacitidine therapy. Study Group and Treatment Adults with MDS who have progressed or failed to respond after at least three courses of azacitidine were eligible. Other entry criteria were standard including performance status 0–2, normal liver, kidney, and cardiac functions, and informed consent. Patients received decitabine 20 mg/m2 IV/D x 5 every four weeks. Response was evaluated by the modified IWG criteria (Cheson, Blood 2006). Results Fourteen patients have been treated to date. Their median age was 74 years (range 58–85 years). Patients had received prior azacitidine for a median of 4 courses (range 1 to 9); number of azacitidine courses 3 or more in 12 patients (86%); hemoglobin less than 10 g/dL in 7 (50%); thrombocytopenia < 100 x 109/L in 11 (78%); chromosomal abnormalities in 6 (43%); marrow or peripheral blast 5% or more in 13 (93%). Overall, 5 patients (36%) achieved IWG response: CR in 3 (21%), PR in 1 (7%), marrow CR +/− other hematologic improvements (HI) in 1 (7%). Improvement of thrombocytopenia was noted in 2/5 patients (40%) with pretreatment platelets < 50 x 109/L. Median remission duration was 5.3 months; median survival was 6.0 months. Extramedullary toxicities were minimal. Conclusions Decitabine is active in MDS following failure of azacitidine therapy. Comparative randomized studies of decitabine versus azacitidine in MDS may be indicated.

scholarly journals Do Task Complexity Demands Influence the Learners’ Perception of Task Difficulty?

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (6) ◽  
pp. 71
Author(s):  
Nasrin Sanajou ◽  
Leila Zohali ◽  
Fateme Zabihi
Keyword(s):  
Dual Task ◽  
Task Difficulty ◽  
Task Complexity ◽  
Cognitive Task ◽  
The Other ◽  
Complex Task ◽  
Teaching Materials ◽  
Simple Task ◽  
Single Task ◽  
Efl Learners

This study investigates the effects of cognitive task complexity on EFL learners’ perception of task difficulty. Learners’ perception of task difficulty is measured by a five-item task difficulty questionnaire (as in Robinson, 2001a). The participants were 76 intermediate learners which were divided into two groups. One group performed a simple task (single task) and the other group performed a complex task (dual task). Having performed the tasks, the participants completed the task difficulty questionnaire. In order to see how the participants evaluated task difficulty, their ratings for each question of the questionnaire in the simple and complex tasks was compared using Mann-Whitney U. The results indicate that the complex task significantly affected learners’ perception of task difficulty in three items of difficulty, stress and interest. The results of task difficulty studies can help language educators in designing and employing more effective language teaching materials. 

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