2009年初閒談

 2009年初閒談

作者：黃薇菁（Vicki）

出處：動物的事‧響片訓練部落格

　 一兩個月前和學生談到我的收入大半得存起來作進修之用，他問：可是你不是去上過課了？

　一些想當訓練師的人也曾在部落格留言或問我：要上什麼課？通過什麼認証才能當訓練師？

　我是上了不少課，也拿了兩個認証，這兩張證書在美國應該挺吃香，但是它們在台灣只是兩張紙。據說我一位SF-SPCA美國同學去參加APDT美國寵物訓練師協會年會時，其他訓練師得知她是SF-SPCA畢業生時都投以尊敬目光，嚇了她一大跳，事實上我聽說後也很吃驚，當初我在SF-SPCA網頁讀到它寫著Harvard for Dog Trainers時，我以為這個學校挺會行銷自己，想不到它不是廣告詞，隨後幾年間我自己碰到的美國訓練師也都很肯定這個訓練師學校；當然，按我自己的經驗我也極度推薦它的培訓計畫。

　之所以會去那裡上課是因為當時感到徬徨，以為自己懂得不少東西，但是無法解答心中疑問：處罰似乎對訓練不可或缺，但是為什麼響片訓練可以不利用處罰？為什麼外國人做得到？

　還好我去了，也得到了解答，證書沒人在乎不重要，學到了什麼更重要。

　去年又上了KPA課程，雖然它九成是線上課程，學費比SF-SPCA還貴，但是我想了解我所知道的響片訓練還缺少什麼？果然，制約訓練這門學問博大精深，幾年的功夫當然只不過摸到了皮毛，認証證書是拿了，但是更重要的是學到了不足的東西，也知道哪裡需要再補強。

　如果上了六週認証課程就可以是訓練專家，我想這會是大家超想走的一條路，可惜事實上這不可能，不要抱有這種期望。

　證書只代表一個學習階段的結束，然而課上越多，越能明白外面的世界有多廣，人在知識面前必須要謙卑。如果待在台灣就可以增長知識有多好，可惜這一行沒法這麼做，只能設法花錢去國外取經。

　每次的進修都覺得自己好似活了起來，有如久旱逢干霖，在同好之間討論著，呼吸著自己的興趣，這是無可言喻的樂趣。

　去年進修花掉太多積蓄，暫時只能看書或DVD，今天看了借來的美國訓練師Kathy Sdao講座DVD，一樣覺得有復活的效果。

　Kathy是位經驗豐富的響片訓練師，擁有心理學碩士學位，過去當過動物園管理員，訓練過鯨豚海象，也曾是美國海軍軍用海豚訓練師，她的講座內容豐富，有機會再作分享。

　講座上她解釋增強物時引用了《Coercion and Its Fallout》（暫譯：脅迫與它的附帶作用）的一段話，該書作者是莫瑞‧西德門博士（Murray Sidman），別斃了那隻狗書中提過這位科學家。

『We may apply punishment in a way that transforms pain and suffering into positive reinforcers. Events presumed to be punishing would then support, rather than eliminate, acts than produce them. Results of such transformation would be a person who seeks punishment. This is easily demonstrated in laboratory. For example, wanting to get our subject to stop pressing the lever, we might get the rat in a Skinner box and a brief mild shock when it presses the lever. The animal gets the shock, the food comes in and it eats. At first, the shock may keep the animal from pressing the lever, but it gets hungrier and hungrier, going back to work and press the lever in spite of the shock. Then to reinstate the suppressing effect of the shock, not wanting to be cruel, we increase the shock only slightly. Again the animal stops pressing the lever for a while then returns. If we keep repeating the cycle, increasing the shock intensity gradually in small steps, the subject will continue to press the lever even though eventually the shock becomes strong enough to throw it off its feet. The animal ends up pressing the lever, always taking the strong shock before eating. The shock will now have become a positive reinforcer. How can we show this? First, discontinue both the food and the shock. Now nothing happens when the animal presses the lever. After a while, it presses only infrequently. Now reinstate only the shock. The next time the animal presses, it gives the shock but no food. It immediately starts to press the lever rapidly even though now it produces nothing but strong shocks. The animal’s only reason for pressing the lever is the consequent shock, which has become a positive reinforcer. We can show the change of the shock’s value even more conclusively if we then take the lever away and hang a chain from the ceiling. The first time the subject pulls the chain, it again gets a shock without food. It continues to pull the chain producing the shock each time. The shock becomes so effective as a positive reinforcer we can use it to teach the animal something new, pulling the chain without providing any consequences and no food.』

　這個實驗相當駭人，Kathy認為它也告訴我們制約增強物的重要及應用，讓我想起去年LA響片研討會Ken Ramirez談到相關的制約增強物應用。

　有機會應該要讀讀西德門博士的這本書。