Author: drs5828

Blog Post 3

Donald Shaffer

Drs5828@psu.edu

Shaping:

Shaping is the process of using reinforcement to guide behavior closer towards a desired behavior. This process can be applied to many different animals and can lead to some amazing displays. Shaping is a specific branch of operant conditioning, which is the forming of associations between behaviors and resulting events. Shaping also follows the law of effect, which is an operant conditioning term meaning rewarded behavior is likely to reoccur. Thus, shaping uses reinforcers to guide towards a desired behavior. Reinforcers, positive or negative, strength the behavior they follow. Positive reinforcement adds a desirable stimulus, like a treat, while negative reinforcement removes an undesirable stimulus, like removing an uncomfortable collar. This is not to be confused with punishment. Positive punishments add an undesired stimulus while negative punishments remove a desired stimulus. Both positive and negative punishments decrease the behaviors they follow. I took a personal interest in operant conditioning several years ago when I wanted to teach my chinchilla to come to me when I’d open my hands up. I spent a large amount of time researching on how to do this and I came across a process that can be defined as shaping. Over the course of several weeks, I would bring my chinchilla to the ground and let him get comfortable with his surroundings. Next, I would box him in, so he was confined to about a 2 by 2-foot square. Following, I would place a line of his favorite treats leading to my open hands. Once per night I continued doing this with the plan of having my chinchilla naturally run to my hands when I would open them in a begging style (like someone begging for money would but towards the ground). After about 2 weeks of continuously shaping his behavior, I definitely noticed an increase in how comfortable my chinchilla was with me holding him and without a doubt, I was able to pick him up in his cage much faster and easier. However, I was unable to get him to come into my open hands when indicated. Looking back, I should have changed the experiment so that instead of me going through the struggle of getting him out of the cage, and most likely scaring him, I should have placed the treats in the cage and left my open hands on the outside, allowing him to come to me from the very beginning.

Blog Post 2

Donald Shaffer

Drs5828@psu.edu

Visual Imagery:

To fully understand how a person uses visual imagery, one must understand how the memory process and information processing works. Beginning with sensory memory (a brief recording of sensory information), the encoding process takes places moving this information into the working memory. This is where we obtain the information we use and apply it to the outside world. Within working memory, information is either stored in or retrieved from the long-term memory. More specifically, visual imagery plays a big role in the storage and retrieval of memories. Visual imagery is the practice of using mental pictures as a powerful tool to help in effortful processing. However, even though visual imaging helps mainly in the retrieval process of long-term memory, it works best when used with semantic encoding. This means that when information is in our sensory memory, it is best to connect the meaning of that information with a past mental image that’s already embedded in your long-term memory. Visual Imagery has played a large role in my college life. To be more specific, I truly struggled with the learning of a different language last year and I needed to find the best way to memorize Spanish vocabulary. I spent countless hours staring at flash cards trying to force hundreds of foreign words into my long-term memory, but it just was not working. After communicating with my instructor and doing some research, I began to use visual imagery. With every new vocabulary word I encountered (as it just entered my sensory memory), I would stop and try to connect the word with a past event, picture or just any memory that could be connected with the definition of that word. For example, take the word “el pastel” meaning cake in Spanish. When I first encountered this word, I pictured colorful pastels being used to draw a delicious looking cake with marvelous colors that really makes the icing stand out. I continued to use this process and it greatly helped my effortful processing.

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Sensory adaptation is the diminishing of sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation. What this means is our brain can adapt to certain situations and can choose to ignore some information coming in through our senses. This is why it may feel really chilly when you first walk outside but after several minutes the cold is far less noticeable. You didn’t get any warmer, (with respect to a situation where you aren’t exerting a lot of energy) but your brain decided to ignore that information coming in and as a result, you don’t feel as cold.  Personally, I have dealt with sensory adaptation many times. In May of this year I got an ear infection that left me with fluid in my left ear, making it very difficult to hear for several months. At first, I was constantly annoyed by the fact I could barely hear out of my left side and what little sound I could make out was muffled. It was terribly aggravating until sensory adaptation took over. I slowly stopped noticing the lack of hearing until after a month or so, I would often forget my one ear was not functioning properly. Additionally, after 3 months of not hearing correctly from my left ear, I had a procedure done to fix my hearing. During the procedure, I also experienced sensory adaptation. At first, the doctor set up a device in my ear that sat still and was very uncomfortable. I sat there waiting, for the doctor to gather his tools, with this device stationary in my ear. After about 15 minutes of waiting I had completely forgot the device was even in my ear. In reality, my brain didn’t forget the device was there but instead decided to ignore that information coming in, which is known as sensory adaptation.