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BEIAVIORAL PROGR!

Cur training pethods ars based on rodified opcraut conditioning tockniques (cs proposed by P.F. Skincer) coubined witk inpuss fron. ethological, ecological anć other biological disciplines.

We have deviated frcu the classical aad corvahat simpiiszic Sincerian and pevloviar vievs bccause of ouz recognition of the conplox nature aid inportance of the relatiorchip betweea internal tisiogical Eccienisus and external envirccmaatal icetors., We recognize evea the sizplest conditionei bolavior is actually a mora or less coaplicated behsvioral chain or sequeuce.

Our. spproach to situations lic cne of enginearing decign rather ther otatistical expcrizentelréseareh. Epezirmnte tend to be of the gozo so tpo, with fe) subtects and vitk 2 outject aczinz as its con control. Requirazents for éata arc lept to a ninimuu comceasurate vith ansvcring queacions vital to the success of the missioa, Cur cnginecring cesign is basud on progren goals, our knoviedgo of the aniralo in qnesticu, the ancicipated environnsrtal aituation, dogree of bahaviorul costrcl required, cquipmeut availabie and coet of tine factors.

The trzining plau is tailored to fit the recuiromanto cf the engineering design. Critical aspocts or probable problen areas of the prososed bahavioral chain are identified and averues of approach are initiated imnsdintely. Ircbiers of a criticnl nature we try to attack on nore thsn cne iront sicultaneously. The data recuirerents are iscluded ia the training plon.

Gur traininz plan also includes milestones but tho milcstcaes seldoa have dates atteched., It is difficult to predict the "tuildirs rate" of behaviors, espccially uidcr tihe condizions of pcor coatrol of environruatal factero such as might occur outside the labcrctory. Trsininz is a growtr. process and to push aheai cn a fixed echedulc witicut raintaining a fin: kshavioral taso is an urwise practics and courts lour-tern disastar.

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21 July 1968

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Daily training programs are constructed for each aniaal based or his previous record--particularly the prcvious day's record, but also using the carlior records of rate of progress, incidence of regrcssion, hcalth conditions, ctc: Uccasioually routine steps of progrcss such as incrcasing rango a certain nuuber of yards are sacrificed for increased accuracy ci discrieination, polishing certain ckilled terinal bchaviors, corrfeting or cxtinzuishing protlen behaviors and the like.

Very little quantitative or qualitative experisental evidence exists on long chains of behavior such as arc involved in the present projact. There are littlc data available on extensibility of secondary reinforcemont over a'long tine pcriods of high effort tasks. The evidence availale nou, houevér slight it nay be, cust form the basis of our prosont design and we must gather the necessary data for future engineering dosigns. In view of the caucity of pertinent evidazco a coryain anount..of art, skill, eveluaticn and eiccated guesa-work must be used in judgisg how far aniaals can be otretched eech day, vhen new stiaulus situations caa be introduced aad when behavioral links can te dropped without cisrupting. the vhole chain.

SFECIFICS:

From Septenter through December of l967, we enalysed the progran goals and requirements.

The coals were to get the vohicle to ε remote point and back aεain. A sicple tertinal behavior may ba required. The guidance system must utilizc the capabilities of an F. F Link.

In our analysis, two areas seezed to be roet critical and in nced of investigation, development and selcctioa oī guidance zcthods and estabiichins a maxizum raige capability.

lie proposed sevoral approaches to the guicance problen, onc of which was not directly compatible with tue R Γ Liak. We proposed to assess the efficacy of contircous inforzation input syoters zud interaittant information inputs systems as well as coupere positive informition cystenc vith negative inforaation systons.

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. Page Tliree

Once the system(s) of chcice hed been sclected, ve proposed to gather data on range extension. We were irterested in.biological factors such as attention span, physical endurance, total range and effect of different reinforcement scheuules.

Once ve had a cufficicut amcunt of data to support that the systan could possibly achieve the desired range we proposed to incorporate hchaviors and atteopt to achieve maxinum range. Included at this tinc also would bc the cysters integratlon aspects.

The training protccel involves systematically incrcasing the compicxity and skill levcl of the animal responses undcr the conditions of an expending and frequently changing environeent.

le conditioned the animals to scarch for targats and respond to : the targets oncs they foud them. le supplicd auditory cues to the anirals to aid then in;their search for targets. fe also attempted to train an aninal vithcut the use of targets but the results in coeparison to the target situation vere poor...

The auditcry cues vere a continuous signal vhen the anizal was heading towards the proper target, a sianal meaning tura to the left (target on left) and a signal rezniag turu right (target on right). These signals vere used in different coubinatica for different animals depending on the perticular apprcach in train.. ing. The basic approaches-were: On course

,Left/light

On course--Left/Light

Wnether the guidance sigaals were contincous or intereiztant was another varieble in cur training schene.

The initial training is accomplished with the relatively sterile ccnfines of a snall pen--essentielly an oversized skinner box!

Oace the behavior was established in the small pen we roved to a lcrger pen with a rore complex environeent and also introduced gate training and core extensive handling proceriures.

By this method of continual environzertal and behaviorel expansicn we eoved the aniuals outside the çotpcunds.

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Pzce Tour

The data kept duriny noct of thc training sessicno were nvebera o trials, positicas ani range of targete, numoer of correet cioicec, environocatal factors land occssionclly tine por trial

I aumber c courze corrcctions and,ccct inportantly and at 1 all tires, a dctailes rucorj of ochavloral observations.

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