Author Archive | Mary Hunter

Skinner-B-day-quote

B. F. Skinner and Errorless Learning

Happy Birthday, B. F. Skinner! Yesterday, March 20, was Dr. B. F. Skinner’s birthday. In honor of Dr. Skinner’s birthday, I shared the following quote on my Stale Cheerios Instagram account and Facebook page. Skinner writes: “The implication that learning occurs only when errors are made is false.” This quote comes from his 1968 book, […]

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Blog-behavior-multiplies

Behavior multiplies (video)

Behavior multiplies. Let me explain what this means.  When you have a well-designed shaping program that is appropriate for your learner, behavior change can happen exponentially.  Imagine you are teaching your horse (or dog or other critter) to walk next to you without a leash or lead rope.  On the first day, you may start […]

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behavior-makes-sense

Bizarre behavior makes sense!

Sometimes, our animals engage in behaviors that just seem really odd. You may find yourself shaking your head and thinking, “Why would my dog (or horse or parrot or other pet) ever do that??” (Alternatively, you may find yourself thinking the same thing when you are looking at a behavior that your co-worker, spouse, child, […]

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