Chicken Learning. - Psych Tut 5: Learning processes (UCT)

[johnb406]

That was rather interesting. You must have had a lot of patience. India too. I was rather supprised that a chicken could be taught. I noticed she had a problem with her one foot. Hopefully it doesn't bother her. John

[robertslistening]

Looks like your chicken has developed permanent paper pecking syndrome. LOL

[robertslistening]

Ah come one. That's easy. Now if you could get India to tie shoelaces...then...I'd be impressed. LOL

[clmarais]

@robertslistening Hahahaha! :) It was first year... give me a break ;)

[funnystuffromfriends]

This is very cool!  :)

How old was India when you did this?

Did she already have the buzzer associated with food before you started this experiment?

[clmarais]

@funnystuffromfriends Glad you like it! I think India was a few weeks old, don't know exactly. Before the first clip of the video, all I had done was place him on the table and put a few specks of food on the table to encourage him to peck. This was his first exposure to the buzzer.

[mafrecas3]

Hi!! I have this question... why did you use de beep? Wouldn't be enough offer food to India?

[clmarais]

@mafrecas3... Offering food is effective as a positive reinforcement, but it is not immediate enough to mark exactly what is being rewarded. Using the beeper allows an immediate response to the correct behaviour; once the animal has understood that after the beep comes food it works really well. Thanks for your question! :) Are you going to try it yourself?

[mafrecas3]

@clmarais Okay! thanks a lot :D I have to do an experiment to my Ethology class and while I was doing some research I found your experiment and it gave some cool ideas :p I was already thinking about using chickens and maybe some kind of a Skinner box to demonstrate the hability to learn and Skinners operant conditioning. I'm not going to do exactly your experiment but something similar ^^

[akoposijaja]

hey may i know what breed of chicken is india? :)

[clmarais]

@akoposijaja... I don't know :/ Sorry!

[bessmo7476]

Hi,

my chicken learned to run to a gate and wait there to be let out. Non-conditioned ones were at the same time gathering around me waiting for food. Reinforcement wasn't immediate feeding but the food it found in the garden after being let out.

[Damnitron]

Now I want a chicken, too.

Second-year psych student here.

[Terenz43]

Hey, Christie-Lynn - what happened in the earlier doub;e-coice-overs ?

[clmarais]

What do you mean? The diagram at 0:48?