Author Archives: Rosemary Elisabeth Crosset

Rose Crosset-Operant Conditioning

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In my daily life, I can see how Operant Conditioning works. One of my cats named Jefferson at home that we recently adopted learned to patiently sit on command for his food. My mom and I decided that since my sister taught her cat to do all sorts of things, why not try it on our cat? So, whenever it was feeding time, we gave Jefferson his favorite food either when he sat by mistake or because we forced him to sit. Then, we immediately gave him the food after he completed the action.  In this situation, the food is a positive reinforcement because Jefferson is receiving a desirable item that he particularly enjoys. He associates the command for ‘sit’ to receiving his reward, or reinforcement. Now, he responds to the word ‘sit’ immediately and sits for his food every time. He is so conditioned now that even before I say the word, he is already sitting for the food without any other instruction. In addition, Jefferson now sits for all sorts of other things such as treats and toys, even though he wasn’t conditioned to do this.  This is called generalization and is common with animals which are taught tricks. Based upon articles I have found, there are many tricks cats can learn just as well as dogs can. Cats are also demotivated, which means that the thing you want them to do must be highly probable for them to achieve or else they won’t engage in the activity. The key is to provide steps that gradually lead to the outcome you want. If you want to eventually make the cat do something without the reward, it’s important to gradually take the treat away. This prevents extinction, which is  when the response to the stimuli ceases. Some people have even taught their cats to use chopsticks attached to their paw and even “walking” on parallel bars. A common trick used today is to train their cat to use the toilet instead of a litter box. First, the litter box is set near the toilet. Then it is gradually raised until it’s actually positioned in the toilet. Then the litter box is removed and the cat continues to use the toilet. This can be reinforced with treats or food and can be accomplished eventually without the litter box. No matter the type of animal, there are all sorts of tricks pets can learn as long as the proper steps are used.

http://messybeast.com/intelligence2.htm#tricks

Pain Sensitivity in Redheads

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Many people correlate a short temper with people who have red hair. But do people also consider that redheads are more sensitive to pain? Whether or not redheads tend to have a ‘fiery’ temper, it can be proven that they do have a greater sensitivity to pain due exclusively to genetics.

To further explain how the genetics of redheads relates to sensory sensitivity, one must first understand how pain receptors in the body function in the nervous system. Sensory receptors send signals through the spinal chord and brain when encountered with sensory stimuli. Some sensory receptors are specifically categorized under the somatic nervous system which refers to the body feeling, light, pain, touch, pressure and more. All these components of the central nervous system combine to fully utilize all the senses and to help protect the body against potentially harmful stimuli. In a recent study, as much as 20 percent more anesthesia is needed for redheads to fully disintegrate the pain involved with sensory neurons. Scientists have concluded that this is caused by the MC1R gene which produces higher quantities of pheomelanin. This red pigment is how redheads get their hair color and fine skin tone (Clark 1). There are only theories behind why this gene has such an effect but many believe it has something to do with overproduction of hormones related to pain (Clark 2). In my own experience as a redhead, I find these findings true. Whenever I had to have anesthetics administered on me at the dentist, I found that I needed multiple doses of it in order to not feel any pain. This is possibly due to the increased rates of pheomelanin and pain-inducing hormones which causes there to be more signals from the pain receptors to the brain. It could also be because pheomelanin is somehow related to hormones that activate sensory receptors (Clark 2). Even though there is not an obvious answer why redheads have this strange trait, one can infer that it has a great deal to do with the workings of the nervous system, specifically the sensory receptors that encompass it.

 

Works Cited

Clark, Josh. “Do Redheads Need Extra Anesthesia?” HowStuffWorks. HowStuffWorks Inc. 1998. Web. 4 February 2014.

http://science.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/everyday-myths/redhead-anesthesia.htm