Learning Like a Labrador

Ever watched a trained dog? Here in Australia, I am always impressed by watching sheepdogs at work. They scamper about, keeping the sheep headed exactly where the farmer wants them to go. That’s impressive!

Even more impressive is the training of the dog so it knows what to do. But the dog can’t understand complicated human instructions. Well, it can, if you train it properly.

In the case of the sheepdog, the farmer starts with easy behaviours, like ‘Sit’ and ‘Come.’ Each time the dog behaves correctly, it earns a treat, like a dog biscuit.

Teaching an animal to follow commands uses the Behaviourist (be-hayv-your-ist) Theory of Learning. We humans learn the same way–just with fewer biscuits.

If you get a reward for doing something, you’re more likely to do it again. That’s how the dog learns.

If your teacher praises you for doing something well, your brain does a joyful backflip. If you continue to practice the skill (and improve it), your brain rewards you by making you feel good.

The magic of the behaviourist theory for humans is that even the practice can be a reward. Think about that next time you face a difficult challenge.