Building My Repertoire and Secondaries

This has been a crazy week. To start off I am just getting my voice back after it took a week-long hiatus, I think my trainer friends were somewhat entertained by my broken record/breaking up cell phone/frog-mouse hybrid voice. But now I just sound like a singer called Duffy according to Justin. Anyway on Sunday Lindsey introduced me to tongue rubs during sessions. Up until now I have been doing tongue rubs after sessions and for trainer interaction enrichment. These are extremely reinforcing to the whales (and all of us!!!). Tongue rubs are also used during sessions as secondary reinforcers. Secondary reinforcement is reinforcement that animals do not need to survive. Clickers and whistles are secondary reinforcers (they are also bridges-they bridge the gap between the behavior and reinforcement. Confused yet? If you are I dont care I'll pull down your underwear!!! Anyway at first I was instructed to treat the tongue rubs as a behavior in order to condition them to being used as a reinforcer, in other words: tongue rub-point at whale to bridge-reinforce with fish. Today Lindsey said I could start using the tongue rub as reinforcement, but also as a behavior. Example: in a session I will give two tongue rubs at some point and then give the whale a fish afterwards, I will also ask for a simple behavior (target or high five) and give a tongue rub instead of a fish. Get it? Good.

I have also received two new behaviors. Yesterday I learned how to do a dorsal layout. Basically the whale's head is against the beach with the dorsal part of their body exposed. I can keep them in this position for up to 30 seconds and can give the sD in either a kneeling or standing position. I also learned low range vocal on Naku today (I will do Kela on Sunday). I simply place a finger n the whales melon (head) and she makes a sound that kind of sounds like giving someone a raspberry. I can do up to 4 of these in a row (bridging in between) before reinforcement.

Finally (I told you this week was crazy), I learned a new game with Naku (again, Kela on Sunday). It is called ring toss. It is the same thing as ball toss, but with a ring. So I have had a pretty cool week with the whales. I am still maintaining everything else I have been doing and learning more and more everyday. I could not possibly ask for a better internship, better animals and people to work with, or a better mentor.

Yep, I pretty much love my life right now.

Quit Playing Games With My Heart

The lame title is in honor of the AMAZING concert that Amanda and I attended and the fact that I can now play a fun game with both Kela and Naku. Its called ball toss which is pretty self-explanatory. I put a ball in the whale's mouth, give and sD, and then catch the ball when they throw it to me. Actually the first time I played with Naku I dropped the ball, scared her, but then she retrieved it for me from the water. She is such a good whale.

I am actually beginning to form relationships with both of the whales. Naku has a "please more please more please more" vocalization when she is getting tongue rubs. She has never done this with me before, but on Sunday when I was giving her ice she started vocalizing to me when I ran out. She has also been vocalizing during our end of session tongue rubs. Kela has been approaching and and vocalizing to me during morning chores. She is also alot more vocal during our sessions and has been eager to stay with me during tongue rubs. I was sharing end of session tongue rubs on her with a volunteer and she seemed more interested in me than the volunteer (something that has never happened before).

I am continuing to maintain and improve on the other behaviors that I have already talked about and I can only hope to continue to improve on what I can and to build up the relationships that I am gaining with the whales.

People of CT

So you know that website peopleofwalmart.com? Well, I have seen some interesting character wandering around CT. I will update periodically

~Two old guys in electric wheelchairs cruising down the middle of my street-I was trying so hard no to laugh

~A young guy walking down my sidewalk with a giant backpack-like those backpacks that you see people wearing when they are backpacking around Europe. Where was he going? Did he think New London was actually in Europe?

~A very very fat guy in the mall with a red shirt that said "Ladies Man"

~A middle aged white man with a pink plaid shirt, light pink shorts, very white shoes, and long socks walking down the sidewalk with two little black girls

~A sporty looking woman parked in my parking lot and got out of the car with an old guy in a bathrobe and slippers. He shuffled to the bushes outside my house and started yelling at her about them (i am guessing thats what he was yelling about judging by his gestures). The then went back to the car and drove off