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ABA is happening all the time, changing and shaping human behavior. In this interview with Amy Sutherland, author of What Shamu Taught Me About Life, Love, and Marriage, we discuss lessons learned in the animal training world and how they directly translate to modifying human behavior.
At the heart of the animal training discussed in Amy’s book is B.F. Skinner’s work on positive reinforcement, something I have discussed many times on the show and in my books. The short and quick of it is that behavior happens because it is reinforced. Whether it’s the behavior you want or don’t want, if it’s happening, it is because you’re reinforcing it.
Amy goes on to talk about how she has used positive reinforcement techniques in her own life and marriage to better improve those relationships. With positive reinforcement, she learned to stop nagging and to instead reinforce the things she wanted from her husband. This works with your kids, your friends, your spouse, your parents, and even your pets.
In the book, Amy gives 5 tips for teaching behaviors and we talk about three of those today on the podcast: go back to kindergarten, the “new tank” syndrome, and the principle of trying something different. Amy goes into detail as to how these relate to real-life situations and problems you may encounter when working on behavior.
While in this episode we are discussing things Amy learned about animals, it is truly the foundation of everything I discuss in turning behavior around. So whether you’re working with a child with autism or not, positive reinforcement and building these reinforcements on an individual basis is going to work to build the behavior you want and eliminate the behavior you don’t want.
Today’s Guest
Amy Sutherland is the author of four books, the most recent being Rescuing Penny Jane: One Shelter Volunteer, Countless Dogs and the Quest to Find Them All Homes (Harper Collins) and What Shamu Taught Me About Life, Love, and Marriage (Random House), which is based on her popular Modern Love column.
She is a regular contributor to the Boston Globe and lives in Charlestown with her husband, one shelter dog, Bernice and her rescue finch, Rennie.
You’ll Learn
Resources