Alright trainers, I need some info!
I was at a seminar this weekend and heard a very brief description of "adduction theory," combining learned cues to create new behaviors. For example, you can teach your dog "roll over," and teach him "speak," and then use adduction training to teach "roll over while speaking" or "roll over, then speak." The idea is that you say your "roll over" cue, then your "speak" cue, then some other cue that means "put 'em together," then the dog does it.
The idea is really fascinating to me, and so I'm looking for any information I can find about how to actually teach this concept to the dog - or to any animal for that matter - but I'm having trouble finding anything about it online. I did find that Ken Ramirez and Virginia Broitman have given talks about this subject, but I can't find any more information than that. I have Ken's book "Animal Training" at work, so I'm hoping there is some information in there. But I'm wondering if any of you have any information you could share about this subject???
Well I know where you were this weekend. Don't forget to tell everyone else where you were! Its good for (my) business!
Today I was googling adduction to see if I could find anything else on the topic, because it is pretty interesting, and I came across this thread, so I had to register and reply.
Adduction is the combination of two behaviors. When giving two cues leads to a combination of the behaviors, or both behaviors occurring simultaneously, adduction is occurring. If the behaviors happen in sequence, the adduction is not occurring. It does not matter if the the cues are given simultaneously, or in sequence.
I was talking to Ken some more about adduction at dinner one night. I was asking him what his procedure for creating adduction was, and if he had a specific cue for adduction.
Ken told me that he has a cue that basically means, pay attention while I tell you what to do. The dogs will not perform the behavior until he gives a separate release cue.
He will give the dog the "pay attention and wait" cue, then two cues for different behaviors, then release the dog to preform the behavior. He will also give supplemental cues while the dog is performing the behaviors. For example, if he gave the cues for bark and rollover, and then the dog begins to roll when released, he will give the bark cue while it is rolling over. Pretty soon the dog will perform both behaviors at once. After training this with four or five sets of behaviors, the dog seems to learn to combine any behaviors it is given in between a "pay attention and wait cue" and the release cue. No specific training is needed, it just sort of happens. He helps it develop and captures it when it does occur.
Basically, to take out all jargon adduction means do this AND this, as opposed to a chain which is do this THEN this.
I don't really know when it would be useful. Ken will be the first to say that some of those things are fun, but not really useful. He also has developed a technique for teaching an animal a mimic cue. One animal does something, and he says "Copy" and the second animal will do what the first one did. He says it really isn't useful, but its fun. Same with adduction and even the "insight learning" that Dr. Epstein talked about. Its probably just something more useful for fun.
It may be useful to consider when your animal (or you!) does something strange. Perhaps it has been given two cues somehow, even environmental cues, and is adducting?
As far as the term itself... It is pretty uncommon, even in the scientific behavior analysis literature.
You could call it by what Dr. Epstein calls it... but I don't really seen any reason to ever use his terminology.
Did you notice that when answering the question about adduction in the panel discussion Ken adducted the words satisfy and gratify to form grastify? How appropriate!