Abstract

Animal training is considered by many to be a combination of “art” and “science.” In our canine scent-detection laboratory, we aim to progress the science of animal training for scent-detection applications. We sometimes frame our work as attempting to increase the “science” and decrease the “art” in the training process. However, it would be wise to step back and consider what is meant by the “art” of training (i.e., the contexts in which the application of this label is reinforced by our verbal communities). In doing so, we may gain a better understanding of the aspects of training that we understand the least. We might also learn some valuable lessons about the social validity of our methods and, with minor adaptations to what we do or how we talk about it, we could improve our ability to collaborate with and influence others in this field. In this talk, I will describe some of our efforts to progress the science of dog training, explore the art versus science distinction, and reflect on how this exploration might improve the effectiveness of our research and verbal behaviour related to it. Although this talk is focused on animal training, this exploration may be interesting and helpful to researchers and practitioners in other areas. 

Learning Objectives

Following this talk, attendees should be able to:

1. describe some common issues with scent-detection research and practice and potential solutions to these issues;

2. explain contexts in which the verbal community outside of behaviour analysis might use the words “art” and “science” when referring to training or teaching;

3. relate the community definitions of these terms to relevant aspects of animal training and potentially to other applications of behaviour analysis.

Biography

Tim Edwards is a behavioural psychologist who is interested in learning processes, particularly as they relate to socially significant behaviour. He aims to bridge gaps between basic research and applications. Tim teaches in the University of Waikato’s Behaviour Analysis Programme and is director of the university’s Scent Detection Research Group. Much of his research is cross-disciplinary, involving collaborations with biologists, chemists, and medical researchers.

Target Audience: Animal trainers and other ABA researchers and practitioners who are interested in issues related to social validity and communicating effectively about ABA.

Duration:The presentation will run for one hour and allow 15 minutes for questions and discussion.

PDUs/CEs: 1.5