Q-Tip FINALLY pressed the lever all by herself! I am a super proud rat mom! In the video, the third lever press is Q-Tip reinforcing herself (you can probably tell by my gasp of excitement). The third day of shaping was rewarding for me as well. I knew we had been making progress, but I was worried that we were behind. Q-Tip proved me wrong! It was a reminder that shaping is a process that requires attentiveness and patience. On the third day of shaping, the reinforcements were split. Half of them came from me and the other half from Q-Tip. After finishing shaping, I realized that Q-Tip really did learn the tasks easily. I think I expected the process to move faster, so I was worried she wasn't learning. But after overviewing the whole process, I can see how her interest in the lever increased each day. She began repeating behaviors that she knew would get reinforced until she finally figured it out. I do think the actual process of shaping is similar to how it was discussed in the book and in class. It's a process that you have to stay committed to as a trainer, and it takes more time than you might think. I can especially see the importance of Pryor's Ten Laws of Shaping after training Q-Tip.
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