Extinction

‘Errors are not necessary for learning. Errors are not a function of learning, nor are they attributable to the learner. Errors are a function of poor behaviour analysis, a poorly thought-out shaping programme that moves too quickly from stage to stage and lacks the behavioural prerequisites necessary for the programme to be successful.’
Skinner

To sum it all up, let’s talk about extinction!

You know that famous ‘but ignore when he…’

Definition:

Extinction is the process by which a behaviour no longer has its expected consequence, even though it had been effective until then.

The problem is as follows:

Several studies have shown that behaviour (which had been working until then) is likely to worsen: this is commonly referred to as the extinction burst.

This famous extinction spike can cause the animal to try and try again in the hope of successfully performing the behaviour it knew so well until now. This triggers emotions that could be described as difficult: frustration, anger. And above all: a significant risk that the animal will not be able to find other solutions, that the behaviour will continue to worsen and put the animal in a very difficult emotional state to manage.

Here is an example to help you understand better:

A child presses the button on the remote control.

• Consequence (in this case, the reward) of this behaviour: the television turns on.

Suddenly, the batteries fail.

The child presses, and presses harder and harder until they risk breaking the remote control, throwing it away, or ‘getting angry at it’.

In this specific case, it seems logical to us that if the child does not learn the new skill of ‘changing the batteries’, they will have no way of obtaining the desired reward.

The goal here will therefore be to teach them this new skill that will enable them to become independent, succeed and feel valued. And, in the process, avoid the pitfalls of anger, frustration, explosive behaviour, etc.

So… are extinction and all the ‘mistakes’ that come with it really a necessary part of learning? Isn’t there another way? A better way? A faster way? A safer way?

Rather than waiting for the animal to magically ‘find’ an alternative behaviour that might work, there are many other ways to guide it and teach it how to behave differently.

« The rat is never wrong »

If your pet exhibits ‘problem behaviour’, it is because it has learned to behave in this way, it has good reasons to continue doing so because the behaviour is functional (i.e. the behaviour allows it to obtain a reward) and it does not know how to behave differently.

There really is such a thing as parsimony in behaviour: once an animal can do something simpler to achieve the same thing, or better, then that behaviour will be selected.

When we see an animal making a mistake, the real question we should ask ourselves is:

Have I forgotten to teach you something you need to know?

What can I teach you that will give you the tools you need to do things differently?

This is why, during our consultations, particularly for reactive or ‘dangerous’ animals (biters, nippers) and/or activities that involve a high degree of risk, my priority will be to avoid situations that could lead to failure. I don’t need to put the animal in an impossible situation to resolve the issue, quite the contrary.

We maintain the animal’s well-being and turn the initial situation into an enjoyable, shared experience based on the real learning of a new skill that places you at the heart of its rehabilitation and allows it to gain confidence in itself while offering it new skills to achieve the same result. This solves the problem while maintaining its bonds and our respective well-being with our animals.

And remember: the rat is never wrong. If it fails, it means that our learning solutions must be tirelessly reviewed and corrected.