Skip to main content

The confusion of words

At our animal training workshop on Saturday I was amazed.  In the workshop I begin by establishing that all are familiar with the terms positive and negative reinforcement and positive and negative punishment.  I find that if we don't establish this, confusion reigns. So this is where we begin.  On Saturday my students really battled. I considered what was wrong and for a while was pretty perplexed.  I usually whizz through this section without a hitch.  And the students were pretty clever people.  

Then I got it. This is one of the first workshops I have presented to the informĂ l training sector and more to the point, they were English-speaking.  Most other audiences have been foreign or had substantial numbers of Afrikaans and African language participants. So why is this significant? I was presenting in English.

Significant because we English speakers have a uniquely evolving language that is filled with associations. The essence of language is so often lost.  The words positive and negative to most English speakers have a strong association of good and bad. This is not new to me.  I tell students all the time to let go of the association. The audience on Saturday just needed more time to put down their beliefs about the word.  They had to see the words in their mathematical essence.  Positive means add. Negative means subtract -take away.  

This special audience taught me one more thing about the confusion.  The term reinforcement has the definition -increase the chance of a behaviour occurring again. This is opposite to punishment which in behaviour terms means - decrease the chance of a behaviour occurring again.  This on its own we can accept.  Notice in the definitions we have the words increase and decrease.  Also mathematical in essence.  And this was the first time I saw this.  The first time I note that there was confusion because the mathematical terms together are confusing.  Negative reinforcement is a subtraction to effect an addition. Lighbulb moment for me.  It will be easier for me to teach now. Just have to create this awareness and then they can see clearly.  

So big gratitude for the lesson.  Just love that I am always learning.  When we look with renewed perspective we can see from all angles.  This enables us to put all the angles and perspective down.  Then we see clearly.  

Animals see literal truth. They see in the moment much more clearly than we do.  The evolution of language has taken us out of the moment.  Out of our hearts and into our stories.  When we work closely with animals we will succeed when we are in our hearts.  So they teach us to put down our stories and journey back to truth. 

Thank God for animals
 

Comments

Post a Comment

Thank you for connectingđź’•

Popular posts from this blog

What is success?

Success is not giving a hoot.  If you can be a 45 year old cat woman playing in front of 3000 people, totally uninhibited, then you are succeeding.  Because if you are able to do that, you are in the present moment, not caring about what anybody else thinks.  Not worried about their judgements or how you think you should be coming across.  (ok, so I was a little worried, so not 100% successful, but I continue to strive to be free of this nonsence) When you have that presence of mind in front of animals, that is when you are succeeding. 
Post a Comment
Read more

Overwhelmed

Sometimes I spend time with people who see others in a different way to me. I am left feeling insecure in my intuition. Some believe that human beings are inherently bad. I prefer to see them as inherently good. With regard to people in relationship with animals, any poor relations, I see as misunderstandings or confused belief systems. I need to be able to trust my take on people. Because if I don't, there is no hope. If we don't inherently care, if we don't have that foundation to which we can return once we put our ego and greed aside, then there is no hope. People governed by their egos do three things when faced by challenges - 1. Keep doing the sam and expect a different result. 2. Dig in their heels and force the issue. 3. Give up and walk away with an excuse. All points refuse to acknowledge a problem which can be solved because it is a problem of our own making. So, when I look around and see litter, pollution, unethical care of humans and animals, corrupti...
2 comments
Read more

A Lesson in Surrender

  I always found the concept of surrender a cop out.  Something one would do if one was too weak to take on a situation.   So, when I found myself in a situation where I am unable to follow my passion in the most effective manner, I experienced great discomfort.  Speaking up was immediately taken as judgement.  Even though it was never intended as that.  The presumed judgement resulted in defence.  And the drama began, and unfolded.   Chasms and vindication ruled.  Frustration and finger pointing. What has this to do with animals?   For those of us that work with animals, they are like kids.  They sense how we feel.  Our moods affect them.  So, when this type of angst environment is created, the disturbance affects the creatures that we love. The lesson – stop the angst.  It is not worth upsetting the animals.  Nothing is.  So, surrender.  Not sure where this will go.  But I am here righ...
Post a Comment
Read more