11/14/17 

Operant conditioning experiment with the goats  

Independent Study Update 

Back in October I completed an experiment involving the ewes (female sheep). This experiment tested their ability to learn through the operant conditioning method, a method of learning in which the reinforcement of a behavior is modified by reward. During the experiment, I presented the ewes with 2 different colored buckets, one orange and one white. The orange bucket contained the food, the white one, did not. On the first trial of the experiment, I placed both buckets down at the same time. This allowed the sheep to investigate each bucket. When they all realized the food was in the orange bucket, I moved to a different location on the field and set both buckets down again at the same time. Again, both buckets were investigated by the sheep before they determined the orange one contained the food.  By the third trial, the sheep did not even go to the white bucket, they immediately went to the orange bucket containing the food.  This demonstrated that by receiving the reward of food, the sheep were able learn where their food would be by distinguishing the different colored buckets. 

In order to test the learning abilities of multiple species on the farm, I replicated this exact experiment with the goats. To receive the most accurate results possible, I used the exact procedure from the previous experiment. I worked with the following goats: 2 adult females (does) and 3 younger goats: 1 female (doeling) and 2 males (bucklings).  

As with the sheep, I presented the goats with 2 different colored buckets, one orange and one white. The orange bucket contained the food and the white did not. On the first trail of the experiment, I put both buckets down at the same time and let the goats look into each one. After they all realized the orange bucket contained the food, I moved to a different location and set both buckets down again at the same time. All the goats checked both buckets before realizing the food was still in the orange one. This happened again on both the third and fourth trials. By the 5th trial, the older goats began to understand the pattern and went towards the orange bucket first. However, the younger goats were still looking in both before figuring out which contained the food. By the 6th and last trial, the adult goats had managed to clearly distinguish the orange bucket as the one containing food. As for the younger goats, while they did approach the orange bucket first, they still went over to look into the white bucket. This behavior could be explained by the fact that the adult goats would get to the orange bucket first, stick their heads in it, leaving no room for the younger goats to see what was inside. So, as curious young goats are, they checked the white bucket as well to see if there was any other available food. Therefore, even though the younger goats looked into the white bucket during the last trial, they had still approached the orange bucket first, and only went to the white bucket as a last option for food. This experiment demonstrated that the goats also were able to learn where their food would be by distinguishing the different colored buckets. However, this task took the goats a bit  longer to learn as compared to the sheep.  

Thoughts on the experiment: In conclusion the ewes were able to learn through the operant conditioning method quicker than the goats. By their third trial, the sheep had learned their food was in the orange bucket. The goats took slightly longer, going into their sixth trial before heading directly to the orange bucket.  The speed of how quickly the animals completed this task could possibly be attributed to their differences in behavior. 
 Goats are independent and curious. This was definitely seen in the experiment as it was quite the race to the bucket. Once there, the older goats would not allow much space for the younger ones to peer into the bucket. The curiosity trait was seen in the younger goats as they continued to look into the white bucket when space was not available for them at the orange bucket. 
On the other hand, sheep have a stronger flocking behavior and tend to be more aloof. Once a few of the sheep had caught on to the experiment, the rest would follow. As opposed to the goats, the sheep would all peer into the bucket first and then take turns eating from it. As discussed in a previous post, sheep flocking behavior can lead some to think that they are less intelligent because they are followers. However, in the parameters of my experiment, the sheep did perform far better on the learning task. Of course, the results of my one learning experiment can NOT infer that sheep are smarter than goats. But, the sheep's cognitive skills and behavior did allow them to preform better on this specific task.   

Pictured: Betsy and 2 of the younger goats

Pictured: Young Walter 

                                                       Someone was curious to see what my phone was :) 

11/7/17  

The conclusion of the classical conditioning experiment with the sheep.  

Independent Study Update   

The first step in my study of animal intelligence was testing the learning abilities of the sheep using the method of classical conditioning, the process of learning a new behavior through association. After 6 weeks of reinforcement, the sheep learned to associate the bell stimulus with food.  

When I began this experiment project on September 19th, the sheep had minimal prior human socialization.  They kept quite a large distance between themselves and any humans. Even when presented with food, they hesitated to approach me.  

By mid- October, after replicating the experiment once to twice each week, the sheep were slowly beginning to respond. One or two would lift their heads and acknowledge my presence. Also, by this time, if the sheep saw their feeding bucket, they would readily approach without fear. However, they were not fully responding to the stimulus yet.  

I replicated the experiment again when I went to the farm this past week (November 7th). The sheep paid little attention to me when I first arrived. They were not phased by the noise of the golf cart or the sounds of human voices.  However, when I rang the bell, all of them immediately perked their heads up in response.  Four of the sheep began approaching me expecting their food, the rest planning to follow. After they had demonstrated a clear response to the stimulus, they received their snack.  

One question to pose is, "Would the results of my experiment have been different if the sheep were more socialized before I began my experiment?" I had consciously made the choice to start this experiment when the sheep were still unsocialized. I wanted a definitive conclusion that the sheep were learning to respond to the bell stimulus and not responding to seeing me. I do believe their initial antisocial behavior added slightly more time to the experiment as they were learning to respond to both the stimulus and approaching humans for their first time.   

What does this say about the intelligence of the sheep?? 

            This experiment with the sheep on the Home Winds Farm proves that, despite the stereotype of sheep being "dumb", they are capable of being very intellectual animals. They have demonstrated that they have the ability to learn new processes and retain that information.  It is interesting to note that classical conditioning is something humans are influenced by everyday. The influence of classical conditioning can be seen in responses such as phobias. A common example is conditioned nausea, in which the sight or smell of a particular food causes nausea because it caused an upset stomach in the past. Similarly, when the sight of a dog has been associated with a memory of being bitten, the result may be a conditioned fear of dogs. Classical conditioning has also been used as a successful form of treatment for substance abuse and smoking. Some therapies associated with classical conditioning include aversion therapy, systematic desensitization, and flooding.