The Poisoned Cue And Its Implications For Training
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- Duration: 1 hour 27 minutes
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Audio: English
- Expires: Thursday, December 30, 2032
- Certificate of Attendance Extended







Much is known about discriminative stimuli (cues) that are taught with either reinforcement or punishment contingencies and how these stimuli function as conditioned reinforcers or conditioned aversive stimuli. However, little is known experimentally about discriminative stimuli established with both reinforcing as well as aversive events. It has been reported that the interaction between reinforcing and aversive events makes the discriminative function somewhat different from other discriminative stimuli (see Hearst & Sidman, 1961). Karen Pryor (2002) called this phenomenon the poisoned cue. She suggested that a cue, or discriminative stimulus, that is established using both reinforcing and aversive events leads to the breakdown of the behavior both preceding and following the cue. This may be due to an increase in avoidance behaviors and the uncertainty that exists regarding the consequence that will follow. The poisoned cue phenomenon is important because it reflects many teaching situations in the real world. Discriminative stimuli in the real world are rarely taught with purely positive reinforcement or purely aversive consequences.
This presentation will show an experimental analysis of the poisoned cue and discuss techniques to identify situations that might involve poisoned cues. It will also discuss ways to overcome these cues.
Purchase of this webinar will allow you to view it 24/7 with no restrictions until the expiry date (for five years after the live date). Once you have placed your order, the webinar will be immediately available within your dog-ibox user account. Please follow these steps in order to view the recording: • Log in to your dog-ibox user account. • Then click on “My Webinars and Downloads” (if you don't see this option, click on the “Account” button in the menu, then on “Account" and then “My Webinars and Downloads”). • You will now see a list of all your webinars and can choose and play the webinar or podcast of your choice. To print your Certificate of Attendance: • Go to “My Webinars” (as for the webinar recording). • Click now on “My Certificates of Attendance” on the left side of your screen. CEU Application: Please use the CEU request form or follow the instructions which can be found in the same area as the student notes and webinar link (follow the same steps as mentioned above in order to view the recording). There is an extra button called “CEU Request”. |
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- Handout The Poisoned Cue
- Student Notes The Poisoned Cue
- Certificate of Attendance
Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT)
1.5 Credits
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International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC)
1.5 Credits
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International Avian Trainers Certification Board and International Animal Trainers Certification Board (IATCB)
1.5 Credits
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Karen Pryor Academy (KPA)
1.5 Credits
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The Pet Professional Guild (PPG)
1.5 Credits
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Internationaler Berufsverband der Hundetrainer (IBH) |
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Tellington TTouch® Verein Deutschland |

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