12/08/2026
Classical conditioning re-constructed....😉
Roaming with Hounds Diary
Classical Conditioning "reconstructed"...
Why I don't often use the typical technical terms used in animal / Behavioural training...
I learnt early on in my studies with the BCCS, while having to do research to reason hypothesis on techniques, that training methods are complicated to most dog owners.
Protocols in methods may be interesting for professional to discuss and work with, but dog owners just want easy steps to help themselves and their dogs.
But a major influence to me is the works of scientists from the 60-80's who researched orient reflexes and Autoshaping [ps- turns out they are the same things to a brain!].
First, evidence exists since the early 80's that a Conditioned Stimulus (CS/i.e:Sound) is NOT a Stimulus Substitute for the Unconditioned Stimulus (US/i.e:food); but that the CS becomes an important signal(s) to shift attention to, through actions.
That difference might be subtle to people, however is has an important impact on how behaviour adapts through associative learning (prediction errors resolving unpredicted stimuli), and how we observe & meaning make from observation all together.
And second- the brain runs on approx. 20Watts.
It doesn't have the energy supply to run many different learning modes and store learned things like files.
The brain has the ability to add (learn) and "delete" (forget) through its internal dynamics, by using sensory input to constrain or update its predictions - action patterns.
It is neural rhytms (oscillations such as hippocampal theta ○ sharp wave ripples slow wave cycles) that structure the timing of events that allow the brain to map the predictive relationship in an environment to tag what is important to its system to "learn".
Metaphorically:
Just like a certain amount of letters in an alphabet, provide the building blocks to create words and sentences constrained by pauses of specific time frames, that afford these certain amount of letters to be used to explain / write about anything and everything. [Subquoting Buszaki]
So. I rather point out to the actions to take, rather than all the names for the protocols invented by humans- that have a timeframe over when they will work, and a timeframe from when they wont work anymore, as prepared action patterns take hold again.
That is why we founded Neuropark. It creates that environment for natural adaptation.
It may sound difficult by the words used, but by the actions taken it is simple output-input- update adaptation (learning) cycles.
No thrills ...
Picture above by chatgtp
Pic Explanation:
Classical conditioning is mostly explained as the CS becoming a representation of the US. Thus, in Pavlovs dogs example, the dogs started drooling to the sound of a metronome.
What that storyline suggests is that dogs are so stupid that they "think" the sound coming from the metronome is food.
Of course that is not so- the dog orients towards the sound, drooling, because the sound predicts the needs of the body before the needs arise (so prepares digestive processes to activate-> one part we observe as drooling).
That allostatic process happens before an Unconditioned Stimulus (US). Pavlov captured those patterns, and to gather more saliva, as his research was on digestion, he introduced a sound from a metronome to illicit the drooling, which captured saliva by little cups next to the dogs mouth.
The dogs were tied up in harnesses so could not move much.
That's the joke in that picture- the greyhound seems to droole over the metronome making sound, but its brain is really preparing for the expected digestion of the steak cooking on the stove in the background!!
