What are counter-conditioning, response substitution, and desensitization?
Counter-conditioning
and desensitization are powerful ways to change behavior. They are
usually used in combination. Desensitization provides a means of safely
exposing the pet to the stimulus at a level at or below which fear is
likely to be exhibited. Counter-conditioning is used to change the pet’s
attitude or emotional response to a stimulus. Response substitution is a
technique in which the pet is taught, using reinforcement-based
techniques, to replace the undesirable behavior with one that is
desirable.Although counter-conditioning generally refers to changing the pet’s mood (through positive pairings and associations), and response substitution refers to training the desired behaviors (through reinforcement), the treatment of fear and anxiety must focus on achieving both the desired emotional state and the desired behavioral response. Therefore, these terms may occasionally be used interchangeably. Refer to our companion handouts on implementing exposure training, settle exercises, and reward based training for practical applications as to how desensitization, counter-conditioning, and response substitution can be achieved.
For most behavior problems, especially those associated with fear or anxiety, the use of punishment is contraindicated since, even if it suppresses the undesirable behavior, it may further aggravate the pet’s fear and anxiety without teaching your pet anything new. Training must focus on getting the desired response and a positive mood, rather than trying to stop undesirable responses.
What is classical counter-conditioning?
Counter-conditioning means changing the pet’s emotional response, feelings or attitude toward a stimulus. For example, the dog that lunges at the window when a delivery person walks by is displaying an emotional response of fear or anxiety. Classical counter-conditioning would be accomplished by pairing the sight, sounds and approach of the delivery person with one of the dog’s favored rewards to change the emotional state to one that is calm and positive. Similarly for cats that are anxious or fearful when exposed to a visitor or other cat in the home, we would want to pair the cats favored rewards with the presence of the visitor or other cat. A critical element of success is to prevent any exposure that might lead to a negative outcome during training. For dogs, this might be accomplished by recognizing potential problems and using a sit and focus command, a turn around or maintaining a relaxed walk past the stimulus. Click here for full article.Like Us on Facebook
Follow on Twitter
No comments:
Post a Comment