1) A student taught her cat to perform behaviors like sitting, sitting up, and high-fiving using principles of reinforcement and shaping techniques. 2) The cat was reinforced with treats for initially sitting, then for sitting up while looking up in an intermediate step, and finally for fully sitting up on its back legs as the target behavior. 3) Similarly, the cat was prompted then reinforced with praise and treats for high-fiving after initially prompting its paw movement, then for high-fiving independently. Discrimination training was used to teach left versus right paw high-fiving.

1. PSY 1400
Final Fiesta Presentation
Megan Grace Murto

2. It has been reported that in the city of Kalamazoo,
Michigan that a student taught her cat to sit, sit-up,
and high-five using the principles of behavior...
extraordinary
phenomena?
Mulder, this is not an X-file….
Sometimes looking for extreme
possibilities makes you blind to
the probable explanation right
in front of you

3. The pairing of the signal marker “yes!”
with the presentation of the reinforcer
of the cat treat
The value-altering principle
converted a neutral stimulus (“yes!”)
into a learned reinforcer.
“Yes!” Cat Treat
No “Yes!” No Cat Treat

4. The pairing procedure:
the pairing of a neutral stimulus with a
reinforcer or aversive stimulus
“Yes!” Cat Treat
No “Yes!” No Cat Treat

6. a learned reinforcer is a
stimulus, event, or condition that
is a reinforcer because it has been
paired with another reinforcer.

7. Reinforcement Contingency
the response-contingent presentation of a reinforcer
resulting in an increased frequency of that response
Before: Behavior: After:
Kitty has Kitty Kitty has
no treat treat
Sits

8. • Initial training began with
the use of the cat treat to
lure Kitty into the sitting
position.
• Once sitting was acquired
by guiding the response
with the treat, I would then
fade out using luring and
train the behavior by using
hand signals as the
prompt

9. A prompt is a
supplemental stimulus
that raises the
probability of a correct
response

10. • reinforcing or punishing a response
• in the presence of one stimulus
• and extinguishing it
• or allowing it to recover
• in the presence of another stimulus.
During the training of sitting up, I used the hand signal
of an upward movement with my pointer finger as the
• a stimulus in the presence of which
• a particular response will be reinforced or punished

11. SD
After:
Before: Behavior:
After:
SΔ

12.  reinforcing one set of responses and
withholding reinforcement for another set
of responses

13. Discrimination Training Procedure
SD:
upward movement
with pointer finger
After:
Treat
Before: Behavior:
Kitty sits up
No treat
After:
No Treat
SΔ:
NO upward
movement with
pointer finger

15. Sit

16. Sit Up

17.  the differential reinforcement of only
the behavior that more and more
closely resembles the terminal
behavior

18.  The procedure started by reinforcing the initial behavior of Kitty
sitting
› Behavior that resembles the terminal behavior along some meaningful
dimension and occurs at least with a minimal frequency
 the intermediate behavior of Kitty sitting up while looking up and
reinforcing correct responses.
› Behavior that more closely approximates the terminal behavior
 After several repetitions of this behavior I was able to begin shaping
the final chain of Kitty fully sitting up on her back legs, the
terminal behavior:
› behavior not in the repertoire or not occurring at the desired
frequency; the goal of the intervention.

19. Reinforcement
Initial: After:
Kitty sits
Intermediate:
Kitty sits up Kitty has
while looking treat
up
Before: Terminal:
Kitty sits up on
her back legs
Kitty has no
treat
Initial: After:
N/A
Intermediate:
Kitty only sits Kitty has no
Terminal: treat
Kitty only sits
up and looks up
Extinction

21.  The next behavior I began training was
teaching Kitty how to give a “High-Five”
◦ I started out by using the physical prompt (the
trainer physically moves the trainee’s body in
approximation of the desired response) by moving
her paw in approximation towards my hand.
Before: Behavior: After:
Kitty has Kitty Kitty has
no treat High-Five’s treat

22. SD:
“Right” After:
Treat
+
Before: Behavior: “YES!”
No Kitty
Treat High –Five’s
After:
No Treat
+
SΔ:
No “YES!”
“Left”

23. Behavior: After:
Kitty High
Five’s with Left Treat
Before: Paw
No Treat
Behavior: After:
Kitty High
Five’s with No Treat
Right Paw