Category: Advanced Stuff ¤
  Author: Bob Bailey ¤
   Title: Wrong ¤
  
  We trained WRONG signals purposefully.  We presented a two
  object discrimination.  On a variable ratio, AND EARLY IN THE
  DISCRIMINATION TRAINING, BEFORE SD MASTERY HAS BEEN ACHIEVED BY
  THE ANIMAL we would suddenly change criteria, and what was HOT
  is now COLD, and vice versa.  When the animal approached HOT
  (under the HOT SD) we sounded the WRONG signal.  At first the
  animal would go through with the now incorrect response and NOT
  be reinforced (whoever said life was fair).  Since the animal
  had not yet firmly learned the SD / object association, it would
  soon go to the other object, and be reinforced.  This scenario
  would be repeated until the animal would clearly hesitate at the
  WRONG signal, and MOST of the time go directly to the new HOT
  object.  At that point, we would add a third object.  The same
  pattern would be followed, that is, the SD would be changed
  without notice, and the first indication of the change would be
  the WRONG just before the response.  This time, of course, there
  are two more choices to be made.  At first, the very first
  choice the animal would make after avoiding the now COLD object
  would arbitrarily be considered HOT and be reinforced.  A little
  later, we would give a second WRONG on the same run and wait for
  the animal to respond the one remaining object.  Later, we would
  add a 4th, 5th, and 6th object.  If we had wanted to, we could
  have developed the discrimination to the HOT object by using
  ONLY the WRONG signal -- and then we could have really been in
  trouble, and that is what people have a tendency to do with the
  WRONG signal. It seems to work so well, that it becomes
  overused, and the trainer forgets about the advantages of HIGH
  RATE OF SUCCESS. There were some other ways we used to teach
  WRONG, but this was the most straight forward. Other approaches
  involved feeding the animal just when it hesitates before
  responding to the newly COLD object.  We usually want the animal
  to scan about for the right thing to do, so we seldom terminated
  a trial with WRONG, even if we reinforce WRONG directly.  We
  give the animal to respond to a HOT object, and then terminate.
  It was also an exercise we could give a new trainer.  It was
  tough to screw up as long as the protocol was followed carefully.
  
  Developing this behavior is really neat (fun to those not raised
  in the 40s and 50s) with some animals -- primates, dolphins,
  dogs (the brighter ones anyway, not so much the dumber ones),
  and cats (and there is a real test for the trainer because the
  cats dont take much to high frequencies of WRONG, especially on
  extinction), the parrots, and -- well, I wont list all we have
  tried.  Chickens and rabbits are NOT much into WRONG, though
  some of them sometimes get it after a LONG while, and in simple
  situations.  What is so neat with the animals that DO is that
  you can almost see the light turn on when they GET THE IDEA. 
  When the light does come on, the signal generalizes very well,
  and WRONG can be a powerful tool in shaping and directing
  behavior.  WE certainly found it useful in open environment
  work, especially with dolphins.
  
  Bob
  
  
  
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