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Building duration inside a chain (video)

Adding more duration to a behavior can sometimes be difficult, even for teachers who are good at shaping. When the teacher changes the criteria for reinforcement, the learner may wonder, “Should I do MORE of this same behavior? Or, am I supposed to do a DIFFERENT behavior?” If the learner engages in other behaviors, this … Read more

PORTL research: The power of one reinforcer

At several conferences around 2010, I heard animal trainer Bob Bailey warn about what he calls “desperation-driven clicks.” When training an animal, things don’t always work out the way the trainer planned. What can sometimes happen when things don’t go as planned is that the trainer, out of desperation or frustration, goes ahead and reinforces … Read more

PORTL as a research tool

The Portable Operant Research and Teaching Lab (PORTL) is a powerful tool for modeling behavior principles and for teaching students how to shape behaviors. In addition, it can be used to conduct research studies. (If you’ve never heard of PORTL, visit this article to learn more.) The simplicity of PORTL makes it ideal for research. … Read more

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