tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9721761.post3587970605459446800..comments2024-03-19T07:27:06.216-04:00Comments on VOTARIES OF HORROR: I've Become a Whisperee!Katherine Woodburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14364517253667798449noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9721761.post-28207774836335879492010-02-27T13:32:51.696-05:002010-02-27T13:32:51.696-05:00Hey, Mike: I think a lot of analogies can be drawn...Hey, Mike: I think a lot of analogies can be drawn between human behavior and cat/dog behavior! After all, we are all mammals :) I think humans gravitate between the dog mentality (pack behavior) and the cat mentality (loner within a group behavior). Plus, as you point out, behavior modification is behavior modification. When I worked at a counseling clinic, the demand, "Fix my kid" almost always resulted in the Cesar response, "Fix your home first." Really: how can an ADHD kid be calm in a totally chaotic environment? And how totally unfair is it to expect that? <br /><br />I've just posted more about <a href="http://katewoodbury.blogspot.com/2010/02/more-about-animal-psychology.html" rel="nofollow">cat behavior.</a>Kate Woodburyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06276977170991272672noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9721761.post-54611910805314831702010-02-24T02:57:59.114-05:002010-02-24T02:57:59.114-05:00My Work as a behavioral therapist has given me a l...My Work as a behavioral therapist has given me a lot of insight into this sort of thing. <br />I enjoy shows about animal training alot, because it's a great chance for me to see other people actually doing what I do. While the venue is different (I'm trying to change the behavior of handicapped individuals), many time the principle is the same.<br />And, just as you find in the TV shows (and as mentioned in the comment above), many times the family/parents are really the cause of the problems, reinforcing those undesired behaviors.<br />Individuals are stubborn and set in their ways, so directly changing the individual is really hard. The key often lies in changing the environment (including those occupying the environment with the individual), so that the individual begins changes their reactions and interactions with that environment.<br /><br />If you ever want to change a behavior, consider 3 things-<br /><br />1. What is the purpose of this behavior (what are they trying to obtain or escape from)?<br /><br />2.What things in the environment are reinforcing this behavior (causing it to continue)?<br /><br />3. What is an alternate behavior that will require roughly the same amount of effort to achieve the same task as the undesired behavior?<br /><br />From here, you just introduce the alternate behavior and determine the best way to reinforce the subject for performing that behavior. Often times, natural reinforcement (example- I flip the light switch, and now I can see) goes a long way.<br /><br />Reading back over this, I feel I should point out that of course I do not equate children or handicapped individuals with animals. However, behavioral modification is similar process for every individual; regardless of their age, race, or species.Mike Cherniskehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10977194295402105318noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9721761.post-39519558463236583032010-02-23T23:36:59.628-05:002010-02-23T23:36:59.628-05:00Hi Kate,
Great post. I like your writing style a...Hi Kate,<br /><br />Great post. I like your writing style and humor, and I'm especially pleased to see you make distinctions among dog, human, and cat psychology. Both humans and dogs are group-oriented animals, so we humans are more familiar with the general psychology of dogs. Where we really go off the rails is in applying our ideas to cats, which are, well, another animal entirely.<br /><br />Cats don't need approval, they don't go in for submission and appeasement, and they are quite independent (but not "solitary" -- a myth recently debunked). In fact, one could argue cats aren't even fully domesticated, as dogs and horses are. As our founder at the Cat Behavior Clinic puts it, cats are "exploited captives," like camels, Asian elephants, certain deer.<br /><br />But there is a way to modify their behavior; it starts with understanding what they need in their environment -- and most of the behavior that needs modifying is the owners' . . .<br /><br />To answer your question, you can find <a href="http://www.thecatbehaviorclinic.com/" rel="nofollow">Cat Whisperer (tm) behavior modification services</a> at the Clinic!<br /><br />Cheers,<br /><br />C. Powell<br />President<br />The Cat Behavior ClinicAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com