Positive reinforcement training to enhance the voluntary movement of group-housed chimpanzees within their enclosures
Publication Type: |
Journal Article |
Year of Publication: |
1998 |
Authors: |
M. A. Bloomsmith, A. M. Stone, G. E. Laule |
Publication/Journal: |
Zoo Biology |
Publisher: |
A Wiley Company, Inc., Wiley Subscription Services |
Keywords: |
animal training, behavioral management, great ape behavior, operant conditioning, psychological well-being |
ISBN: |
1098-2361 |
Abstract:
Abstract 10.1002/(SICI)1098-2361(1998)17:4<333::AID-ZOO6>3.3.CO;2-3 Positive reinforcement techniques were applied to train groups of chimpanzees to move voluntarily into the indoor portions of their enclosures at the request of trainers and to be briefly restricted to those areas. Subjects were 66 members of eight social groups, including 44 adults (14 males, 30 females), and 22 immatures (eight males, 14 females). Performance of individual animals was recorded during four experimental phases of the project: baseline, initial training, maintenance of reliable performance, and transfer of responsibility for training from the original trainers to others on staff. A mean of 16.1 training sessions was required to reach reliable performance, defined as the subjects’ complying with 90% of the requests to move indoors. Analyses of variance indicated that chimpanzee compliance was significantly increased after training. Females required significantly fewer training sessions to reach reliable performance than did males. Adult males showed the lowest level of compliance in each experimental phase. Overall, compliance was not affected by the transfer of responsibility for the procedure from the original trainer to other staff, although there was evidence of a temporary and small decrement in performance immediately following transfer. These findings indicate that training can improve the voluntary movement of captive chimpanzees. They also demonstrate that animal training can be objectively evaluated using systematic study design, data collection, and statistical analysis of data. Zoo Biol 17:333–341, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.