(2009) Reaching the Animal Mind

Pryor, K. (2009). Reaching the Animal Mind:
The Clicker Training Method and What it Tells Us About Animals. NY: Scribner. 272 pp.

Reaching the Animal Mind, the new book by Karen Pryor, is not one that I've yet read, but it's on my shopping list. I want to highlight it since it's been very recently released, and was featured this morning on ABC's Good Morning America (where you can find an excerpt and a video clip of Karen using a clicker to teach a puppy a targeted behavior in less than five minutes).

If you're not familiar with her background, Karen is the author of a VERY popular book on behavioral shaping through positive reinforcement, Don't Shoot The Dog: The New Art of Teaching and Training, that really changes how to think about teaching your dog, cat...whale (!)...and even family members by REWARDING what you WANT them to do vs. PUNISHING them for doing what you DON'T WANT (aka, "shooting the dog") and how using rewards-only teaching can lead to more rapid and relaxed learning, and a happier learner and teacher!

Reaching the Animal Mind seems to be a substantial expansion on that theme with more examples using clickers, exercises to try, and in the case of people, the example of TAGteaching (TAG=Teaching with Acoustical Guidance).

Besides the practical considerations, Karen Pryor is also an engaging, humorous and humane author--if the past is any predictor, this WILL BE a "good behavioral read".

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More about the author and Reaching the Animal Mind:

• Karen Pryor's website on Reaching the Animal Mind
  Packed with info to preview: excerpts, author bio, exercises to try yourself, related research and comment papers, and video clips.
  
  
• Animal Training Guru Explains Her Tried-and-True Tactics
  June 16, 2009 [write-up and video]
  Good Morning America (ABC)

• Q & A with Karen Pryor and excerpts at Simon & Schuster
  

For further reading and study

• Pryor, K. (1999). Don't shoot the dog: The new art of teaching and training. New York: Bantam
  
  
• TAGteach International
• TAGteach blog
  
  
• Vargas, J.S. (2009). Behavior analysis for effective teaching. NY: Routledge.
  Pages on teaching using accoustical guidance: 12-13, 101, 140, 182-186, 196, 204, 310.
  

Happy reading.

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The posts are just thoughts about books that I have enjoyed, or think might be of interest, but tastes are individual and I can't vouch that any of these will be your cup of tea. Please accept my apologies in advance for any disappointments, and my pleasure if you also enjoy the described book. Cheers.

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(2009) Performance Enhancement Training: Change Your Thoughts, Feelings, & Urges

Calkin, A.B. (2009). Performance enhancement training: Change your thoughts, feelings, and urges. Kansas City, KS: Behavior Research Company.

This interesting manual could be considered a "self-help" book, but it's more precise than the usual found down at the Barnes & Noble. It could be considered a tutorial on Precision Teaching, but it's warmer and more friendly to an average person than the usual text. Having read more than my fair share of both "self-help" books AND Precision Teaching manuals and texts, I believe that Abigail Calkin has written a rather unique book utilizing Precision Teaching to address those life changes that many want to tackle: How do I change my thoughts to be more positive? If I'm trying to change my habits of thinking, is what I'm doing really helping or do I just think so?

By teaching the reader how to identify, count and chart their "inner behaviors", aka "inners", Performance Enhancement Training really puts the reader in charge of making positive changes in, as stated, "thoughts, feelings and urges", and gives a concrete and visual means to seeing how progress is going through use of the Standard Celeration Chart (several are included in the manual). She also gives some very interesting and extensive lists of pinpoint categories and countable pinpoints from real life--As a small sample-- "outer behaviors to improve well being", "inner behaviors for writing", "urges to smoke (gratified)", "urges to smoke (ungratified)", etc.

On another front as an introduction to Precision Teaching and Standard Celeration Charting, I find the strength of the writing to be that it is succinct, approachable and clear without being oversimplified, and gets the reader right into pinpointing what is going to be counted, how to count it (including what tools can be used), and how to use the Standard Celeration Chart without intimidation (something that can't necessarily be said about some of the more academic texts available). I think a person could start very quickly on applying the strategies from the manual to good practical use without feeling the need to become an expert in Precision Teaching.

Great book. Thumbs up.

About the author:
Abigail B. Calkin, Ph.D.
Some of her works in Education and Writing.

Where to get Performance enhancement training: Change your thoughts, feelings, and urges.
Behavior Research Company

Happy reading.

---------------

The posts are just thoughts about books that I have enjoyed, but tastes are individual and
I can't vouch that any of these will be your cup of tea. Please accept my apologies in advance for any disappointments, and my pleasure if you also enjoy the described book. Cheers.