Category: New Discoveries
I would never forget that time when our professor in Learning Psychology tasked us to learn something extraordinarily new for that semester. I don't know what sinked into me but I decided that I would train two pigeons in the Skinner box.
(A Skinner Box is a often small chamber that is used to conduct operant conditioning research with animals. Within the chamber, there is usually a lever (for rats) or a key (for pigeons) that an individual animal can operate to obtain a food or water within the chamber as a reinforcer. The chamber is connected to electronic equipment that records the animal's lever pressing or key pecking, thus allowing for the precise quantification of behavior.)
The pigeon was supposed to be a supplemental learning activity for me. What happened was, it became my one and only project besides the optional paper about training. Hence, I paired up with my friends – Henry, Sab and Toni. I was very blessed to have responsible and motivated group mates like them. We thought that the topic was very exciting and sometimes referred to it as cool and astig.
Our first task was to buy 2 pigeons. We had a lot of adventures and misadventures on the way. It was Sab who was able to get hold of Maximus (pigeon 1) and I was the one who bought Dao (pigeon 2) from the pet shop last December. Dao was already a peculiar bird from the very start. According to the attendant, Dao was an imported pigeon. Maybe he was raised in the wild because I have observed that he was not used to the presence of humans. Whenever I would feed him (I don’t know if it’s a he or a she), he would raise his head and heave his wings as if he was going to a battle. He would always peck my hand ferociously. That was the best term for his behavior. I started to acquire a “fear of pigeon pecks” but I was able to uncondition it when Dao died. Dao would not also eat whenever someone was watching him. But whenever one would leave or hide, makikiramdam muna siya then he would eat his food hungrily.
Dao was also very fat. He has almost twice the body size of Maximus. Come January, when we started training them, starvation has to take place. We have to deprive them of food and water so our reinforcer will be more effective. I don’t know whether we were right in starving them at the same rate. We treated them equally even though they had different body sizes. Unfortunately, Dao was not able make it. I saw him the day before he died and he was just sitting there, very serene and peaceful. I had no idea that he would die the next day. His feces were already sickly green. Although he was not able to learn the target behavior, at least he was able to peck under the light source. He only went that far. That behavior took us 4 sessions for Dao unlike Maximus who was able to learn the behavior immediately after the first session.
Maximus, on the other hand, was a local pigeon. Compared with Dao, he was used to the presence of humans and he was cooperative right from the very start of the training. I have also observed that his reflexes were active when I was trying to place my finger or use whatever stimulus there was, Maximus would always follow the object or he would always move his head in the direction of the stimulus. And so, we were not startled when Maximus was able to perform the expected behavior after the first session of the formal training. As what we have said before, it was not really about teaching them how to peck but conditioning them to peck. There was a food aperture that was presented immediately as a reinforcer for the performance that was to be conditioned, which was, pecking the illuminated key. Nevertheless, it was still extraordinary because we were able to witness how animals learn. I would never have imagined that creatures such as pigeons would learn that fast. Moreover, when presented with the stimulus 1 or 2 days after the first session, the pigeon would still have the memory of what behavior to perform.
The first thing we have to know was how to operate the machine. Given the complex connections, we were only able to know the first set of wirings (the timer and reinforcement). I am not an expert when it comes to electronics so I was only able to memorize the connections. I was not able to understand the flow of the electrical current since we were pressed for time. The next step was the exposure of the pigeon to the unfamiliar surroundings. Maximus and Dao were fed in the Skinner box for 2 days so they would get used to the surroundings until it can no longer generate disruptive behaviors. Then, successive approximation was applied to condition the pigeon to peck the illuminated disk. At first, the performance that approximates the goal behavior was reinforced. After the pigeon was able to do it, the criterion was lifted, for example, to a higher level of head raising or when the pigeon looks directly at the illuminated window. This process continued until the pigeon’s behavior was shaped into a new form.
Maximus was able to perform the desired behavior during the first session of “fixed-ratio”. He was able to peck from five and even up to thirty times. However, the “fixed-interval” was not that successful. I think that the pigeon was not able to discriminate the kind of light and the timing. He was quite confused and distracted when we changed the light to yellow to red and back again. He would look out of the window, go around the box or peck at the unlit keys. The last behavior we taught Maximus was a 360 degrees counter clockwise turn / walking in a circle. Maximus was really an intelligent subject. Even Kuya Milo was amazed. The next time around, I want to learn how to train pigeons to be messengers. The effort really pays off.
To end this chronicle, all I can say is that learning happens all the time, wherever we are and in whatever we do. It is in fact a continuous process. Through all these activities, we have appreciated the concept even more. We have witnessed how it occurs in a more scientific level not only in humans but also in animals such as pigeons as well. I am also thankful that I was given the chance to use the Skinner Box even once in my life. I would only encounter the equipment in Psychology books before and now I am proud to say that I have already operated it. Some of my friends who are also Psychology students from other schools became green with envy whenever I would brag about our project. I firmly believe that studying should not only be “concept” bound but it should have practical applications as well. What an experience! Moreover, our class in learning was satisfying in a way because we were left to discover things on our own.
Our first task was to buy 2 pigeons. We had a lot of adventures and misadventures on the way. It was Sab who was able to get hold of Maximus (pigeon 1) and I was the one who bought Dao (pigeon 2) from the pet shop last December. Dao was already a peculiar bird from the very start. According to the attendant, Dao was an imported pigeon. Maybe he was raised in the wild because I have observed that he was not used to the presence of humans. Whenever I would feed him (I don’t know if it’s a he or a she), he would raise his head and heave his wings as if he was going to a battle. He would always peck my hand ferociously. That was the best term for his behavior. I started to acquire a “fear of pigeon pecks” but I was able to uncondition it when Dao died. Dao would not also eat whenever someone was watching him. But whenever one would leave or hide, makikiramdam muna siya then he would eat his food hungrily.
Dao was also very fat. He has almost twice the body size of Maximus. Come January, when we started training them, starvation has to take place. We have to deprive them of food and water so our reinforcer will be more effective. I don’t know whether we were right in starving them at the same rate. We treated them equally even though they had different body sizes. Unfortunately, Dao was not able make it. I saw him the day before he died and he was just sitting there, very serene and peaceful. I had no idea that he would die the next day. His feces were already sickly green. Although he was not able to learn the target behavior, at least he was able to peck under the light source. He only went that far. That behavior took us 4 sessions for Dao unlike Maximus who was able to learn the behavior immediately after the first session.
Maximus, on the other hand, was a local pigeon. Compared with Dao, he was used to the presence of humans and he was cooperative right from the very start of the training. I have also observed that his reflexes were active when I was trying to place my finger or use whatever stimulus there was, Maximus would always follow the object or he would always move his head in the direction of the stimulus. And so, we were not startled when Maximus was able to perform the expected behavior after the first session of the formal training. As what we have said before, it was not really about teaching them how to peck but conditioning them to peck. There was a food aperture that was presented immediately as a reinforcer for the performance that was to be conditioned, which was, pecking the illuminated key. Nevertheless, it was still extraordinary because we were able to witness how animals learn. I would never have imagined that creatures such as pigeons would learn that fast. Moreover, when presented with the stimulus 1 or 2 days after the first session, the pigeon would still have the memory of what behavior to perform.
The first thing we have to know was how to operate the machine. Given the complex connections, we were only able to know the first set of wirings (the timer and reinforcement). I am not an expert when it comes to electronics so I was only able to memorize the connections. I was not able to understand the flow of the electrical current since we were pressed for time. The next step was the exposure of the pigeon to the unfamiliar surroundings. Maximus and Dao were fed in the Skinner box for 2 days so they would get used to the surroundings until it can no longer generate disruptive behaviors. Then, successive approximation was applied to condition the pigeon to peck the illuminated disk. At first, the performance that approximates the goal behavior was reinforced. After the pigeon was able to do it, the criterion was lifted, for example, to a higher level of head raising or when the pigeon looks directly at the illuminated window. This process continued until the pigeon’s behavior was shaped into a new form.
Maximus was able to perform the desired behavior during the first session of “fixed-ratio”. He was able to peck from five and even up to thirty times. However, the “fixed-interval” was not that successful. I think that the pigeon was not able to discriminate the kind of light and the timing. He was quite confused and distracted when we changed the light to yellow to red and back again. He would look out of the window, go around the box or peck at the unlit keys. The last behavior we taught Maximus was a 360 degrees counter clockwise turn / walking in a circle. Maximus was really an intelligent subject. Even Kuya Milo was amazed. The next time around, I want to learn how to train pigeons to be messengers. The effort really pays off.
To end this chronicle, all I can say is that learning happens all the time, wherever we are and in whatever we do. It is in fact a continuous process. Through all these activities, we have appreciated the concept even more. We have witnessed how it occurs in a more scientific level not only in humans but also in animals such as pigeons as well. I am also thankful that I was given the chance to use the Skinner Box even once in my life. I would only encounter the equipment in Psychology books before and now I am proud to say that I have already operated it. Some of my friends who are also Psychology students from other schools became green with envy whenever I would brag about our project. I firmly believe that studying should not only be “concept” bound but it should have practical applications as well. What an experience! Moreover, our class in learning was satisfying in a way because we were left to discover things on our own.
Written By: Lani Diana Santos
Date: 2004
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