Episode 281: Dr. Claire St Peter and Abbie Cooper: What Happens When Training Goes Sideways - Pt 1.

This is part one of a three part conversation with Dr. Claire St Peter, the chair of the Department of Behavior Analysis at West Virginia University, and one of her graduate students, Abbie Cooper. Abbey is reporting on a study she has just completed for her Masters Thesis. In part 1 she is describing the study. Undergrads were presented with a computer screen that had six similar circles on it. In the initial set up, under one set of conditions if the students clicked on the correct circle, they gained points. These points could be exchanged for money at the end of the experiment. In a different context, if they failed to click on the circle, they lost points.

Abbey then observed their behavior during an extinction process. The study produced some interesting results that seem very relevant to horse training.