The Science of Enrichment and Animal Learning

This course will introduce students to the principles of the science of behaviour known as learning theory and behaviour analysis. The philosophical system known as behaviourism that underlies this area of study will be explored, with a focus on the application of behavioural principles (applied behaviour analysis) to animal training, enrichment, and welfare practices and procedures. Students will learn techniques for utilizing the principles of behaviour (i.e., respondent and operant conditioning) for the management of animals, as well as the benefits of incorporating learning principles into animal training, environmental enrichment, and behaviour management practices. The course will cover the general field of learning theory as it is practiced across a variety of animal settings, as well as how behavioural principles are derived from basic research on the experimental analysis of behaviour (EAB) and incorporated with the natural history and ethological underpinnings of animal behaviour.