behaviorworks ~ a study of one   BUILT TO BEHAVE
		Living and Learning with Parrots... ...the Fundamental Principles of Behavior Instructor Susan G. Friedman, Ph.D., is a psychology professor at Utah State University. An applied behaviorist for more than 25 years, her area of expertise is learning and behavior, with a special emphasis on children’s behavior disorders. Prior to living in Utah, Susan was a professor at the University of Colorado after which she lived in Lesotho, Africa for 5 years. While there, she directed the first American School of Lesotho. Susan has written on the topic of learning and behavior for two avian veterinary texts (in press) and popular parrot magazines. Several articles can be found on the web at http://www.thegabrielfoundation.org/HTML/friedman.htm . She co-teaches animal behavior workshops with Steve Martin at his ranch facility (see www.naturalencounters.com) and zoos around the country, speaks at bird clubs and conferences, and enjoys contributing to and learning from several companion parrot behavior internet lists. Susan is a core member of the California Condor Recovery Team. When asked how she became interested in working with companion parrots in particular, Susan explains with a wink, "I have always enjoyed working with juvenile delinquents!" Purpose and Objectives This ListServ course is designed to teach participants how parrots learn. The focus is on analyzing the ways in which the caregiver’s interactions and environmental arrangements maintain existing problem behaviors and how more adaptive behaviors can be taught through the use of positive reinforcement. By understanding the fundamental principles of learning and behavior and the associated teaching technology, caregivers can facilitate successful parrot behaviors for lasting companionship. In this introductory session, lecture topics include functional analysis/assessment, positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, shaping and chaining, and differential reinforcement of alternative behaviors. Also, briefly discussed are the common pitfalls of using extinction and time-out from positive reinforcement, and the detrimental side effects associated with the use of punishment. Your own personal history as lifelong learners and teachers has no doubt given you a lot of experience with these principles. It is hoped that by improving your specific academic knowledge of how to apply them you will have an even sharper set of tools for your teaching toolbox. Philosophy and Scientific Underpinnings The philosophy of behavior in this course is that parrots, like all learners, must have power to operate positively on their environment to live behaviorally healthy lives. We facilitate this power when we interact with them in such a way that they choose to do what is required for lasting companionship in our homes. The guideline followed for matching problems to solutions is to always select the most positive, least intrusive effective interventions. To change our parrot’s behavior we first change what we do. Students will quickly learn that once one has the necessary tools, a commitment to facilitate behavior rather than force it does not mean a loss of behavioral compliance. A natural science perspective guides the information presented here which means that our challenge is to explain behavioral phenomena by identifying the physical events that produce them. Students are encouraged to focus on observable behavior and the environmental elements that support it, rather than inferences or assumptions about hypothetical mental mechanisms. The lectures rely heavily on the findings of many decades of scientific study of behavior across many different species of learners as personal recipe knowledge is not the only psychology we need to provide a high quality of life to our parrots. Schedule and Other Logistics LLP is 8 weeks long, including a final week for tying up loose ends. The course will be taught using a closed email lists for group discussion and for sending lecture attachments and sharing photos. Only registered participants will have access to the email and lecture list associated with this course. Each week, a 2,000-3,000 word lecture is posted to the list. The lectures include homework assignments for you to complete and turn into the list for feedback and revision. After a lecture is posted, the participants are encouraged to ask questions, share thoughts and apply the strategies introduced in the lecture. The class typically requires 4-6 hours weekly. There is absolutely no lurking allowed as this is a hands-on course. P-BAS Email List at www.yahoogroups.com Associated with this course is an email list called Parrot Behavior Analysis Solutions (PBAS). You are welcome to join that work group to further your experience with the material and to help others learn it as well. It is an open list where LLP students as well as others who have not taken LLP can work on behavior solutions together. Go to the following site http://groups.yahoo.com/groups/ParrotBAS/join for more information and to sign up to join the PBAS list. Once you are subscribed to the list, please read the HOW WE OPERATE letter in the Files folder before posting. This is not a chat list and it follows a particular problem solving protocol. Paying It Forward There are multiple ways of giving back to the birds we so dearly love and work so hard to care for in our homes. My way is to teach. In return for participating in LLP, I hope that you will donate a minimum of $50 to a specific worthy bird cause that I’ve chosen for each class. I’ll notify you of which group your particular class will donate to before class starts and you can send your money to them directly at that time. When you make your contribution, please indicate that your donation is from LLP. So far LLP classes have donated to such organizations as The World Parrot Trust, The Bird Endowment, The Gabriel Foundation, and the Grey PoopOn Challenge (now StopPDD). No one will be turned away for lack of payment. A commitment to ongoing learning for the benefit of your parrot is recognized as an important contribution to the welfare of birds, as well. If you are unable to donate $50 at the time of your class, you need only let me know. Registration LLP will be limited to a close-knit group of 30-40 participants, selected on a first come, first serve basis. As the classes fill quickly, your name will be put on a waiting list for the next available class. To register for LLP, please email Susan at sg.friedman@usu.edu. Type LLP in your subject line and be sure to include your full name in your email. You will receive an email response confirming your participation in the next available session. We hope you'll join us for what promises to be a fun and productive learning experience: A course designed for parrot lovers where the birds award the grade! Susan and Sam Scale Training Since 2001, hundreds of dedicated students including caregivers, trainers, and veterinarians; and, thousands of dollars donated to worthy parrot organizations in need of our support. READ SUSAN'S ARTICLES www.thegabrielfoundation.org/HTML/friedman.htm EMAIL SUSAN FOR MORE INFO sg.friedman@usu.edu (Photos at top of page courtesy of Bonnie Jay www.eStarBird.com)