Training Theories: Negative Reinforcement
In behavioral training theories, the words “positive” and “negative” actually don’t refer to “good” or “bad”; but instead refer to whether you are adding something, or removing it. So you can have positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement, and both of these are a type of reward that will increase the likelihood of a behavior being repeated.
And so, negative reinforcement it is the removal of pressure or discomfort, and is actually a reward (not a punishment). In riding horses you might pull on the reins to cue the horse to do something, but the release of pressure is the (negative) reinforcement or reward.
Punishment is always something that is intended to prevent a certain behavior from happening in the future. Punishment can also be negative or positive – with negative meaning you are taking away something that was pleasant (food, privileges), or applying an unpleasant stimulus (yelling, hitting, etc).
Removing / Adding Pressure while riding to improve your relationship with your horse
A lot of riders who do ground work don't realize that the same methods of pressure release can be just as effective while in the saddle...
Posted by Krystal Kelly on Wednesday, September 26, 2018
Training Theories: Negative Reinforcement for Emotional and Behavioral Health
Learning happens with the release of pressure
When training and riding, we are most expecting horses learn from the RELEASE of pressure. This is a form of negative reinforcement. Wh...
Posted by Stephanie Marie on Friday, July 06, 2018
Training Theories: Negative Reinforcement for Emotional and Behavioral Health
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